Jones on returning to lineup, Joseph on returning to team

Center fielder Adam Jones is returning to the Orioles lineup tonight. He's leading off in center field and in the lineup for the first time since a week ago at New York. He has missed the last five games with a strained left hamstring.

A reporter asked him how he is feeling today.

"I'm fine, how you feeling?" he said.

Jones is not a fan of health updates, but he knew the questions would be coming.

"(Want to) be there for my team," he said. "An exciting month. It's the last month of the season, see what we've got."

Can he do all he needs to do on the field?

"That's the only reason why I'm playing," he said. "It was tough, but I think Nolan (Reimold) did a really good job in center field. Maybe gave (coach Wayne) Kirby a couple of ulcers, but he was able to hold down the fort in center."

Jones now has more company on the center field depth chart after the Orioles added outfielders Drew Stubbs and Michael Bourn on Wednesday.

"Two guys with great track records of terrific defense and stolen bases," Jones said. "Something that we are lacking just a little bit. Two guys that are veterans that can come here and help us out. I like them."

Now Jones hopes to stay on the field for the remaining 29 games - and hopefully more after that. The Orioles are four games out in the American League East and tied for the AL's second wild card spot.

"We've been in this situation the last five years," Jones said. "We have guys that understand what it takes, especially in this part of the season. For (Dylan) Bundy and (Kevin) Gausman, this is the first time for them. But there is a lot of experience in this clubhouse. We need to jell together, mesh together and combine our experiences and understanding of what we need to do with 29 games to go and pull through.

"We've been throwing the ball good on the mound. Our offense, in terms of getting guys in and scoring, has been a struggle in the second half. But we're still in the thick of things. You want to be competitive at the All-Star break and again Sept. 1. Both things are check points, so now it's up to us to see what we can do in these last 29 games."

Catcher Caleb Joseph returned to the Orioles clubhouse today, joining pitchers Tyler Wilson and Jayson Aquino as September call-ups.

Batting just .193 with no homers or RBIs in 114 at-bats for the Orioles, Joseph was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk on Aug. 22 and played in nine games. He went 10-for-40 batting .250 with no homers and four RBIs.

He is glad to be back but said he got lot done and had a positive time with the Tides.

"I got to play a lot," Joseph said. "Got 40 at-bats in and felt really good. Got to play with my brother (Corban), a tremendous experience there. Lot of fun and it's a really special group down there. It's pressure because you want to perform but it's a different kind of pressure."

So is some pressure off of him now?

"I think a little bit," Joseph said. "Confidence really breeds success. When you put together consistent at-bats and have success, you get some confidence. I'm coming here a lot more confident than I was when I left here. But this is the big leagues and the guys here are the best at where they're coming from. This is a whole different animal and you don't want to come in too confident, but I feel a whole lot better than when I left for sure."

Joseph was asked if going back to the minors gave him even a greater appreciation about life in the big leagues.

"Not me personally, just because I had such a long and hard road to get here," he said. "Even in the midst of struggles in the beginning and middle part of this season, I never took it for granted. I know how long it took to get here. It wasn't hard going back and appreciating this. Other guys may go down and not remember the food and the fact you clean your own cleats. But I did my fair share of that, so I was totally prepared for what that was about.

"The best part was getting to play with guys I was familiar with like my brother, Christian Walker, (Mike) Yastrzemski and guys like that. They are great teammates there and I had a lot of fun. It was kind of hard to leave. I'm not going to say you get comfortable, but you enjoy playing with those guys. They have that fight and drive to make it up. That's contagious."