Orioles still waiting on Connaughton

Not sure that anyone anticipated how the Orioles would place T.J. McFarland on the disabled list yesterday, but he was receiving treatment on his left knee both days in San Diego. That should have been a pretty strong clue.

I figured it may have been maintenance after he sustained the injury while covering home plate at Triple-A Norfolk. It turned out to be more serious.

While the Orioles scour the market for available starting pitchers, they also leave a candle burning in the window for one of their own.

Won't you come home, Pat Connaughton?

Connaughton made it to extended spring training in May, spending a week working out in Sarasota and providing another glimpse of his pitching potential. It's more like a tease for a club that drafted him and really, really wants the chance to develop him.

Chosen in the fourth round in 2014 out of Notre Dame, Connaughton appeared in six games with short-season Single-A Aberdeen that year and posted a 2.45 ERA in 14 2/3 innings. The Orioles retained his rights while he returned to Notre Dame for his senior season and led the Fighting Irish to the Elite Eight.

Connaughton made it clear that he wanted to give the NBA a shot, so to speak, after setting the school record for most games played with 139. The Brooklyn Nets selected him in the second round of the 2015 draft before trading him to the Portland Trailblazers in a deal that also included former Maryland Terrapins guard Steve Blake.

Basketball may not be out of his system, but the sport threatens to leave him behind.

A shooting guard with the Blazers, he appeared in 34 games and averaged 1.1 points and 4.2 minutes coming off the bench. He signed a three-year deal, the first two guaranteed.

The Orioles didn't try to recoup the $428,000 signing bonus given to Connaughton and they hold his rights until at least 2020. They can add six more years if he's placed on the major league roster.

Executive vice president Dan Duquette would love that scenario, and Connaughton has told everyone that he'll eventually pursue his major league dream, as well.

"I'm not blessed with that kind of athletic ability to be considered for two professional major leagues," Duquette said, "but given the choice to be an extra player or an impact player, it seems to me, you know, the attractiveness of baseball should be apparent to a two-sport athlete who's an extra player in another sport.

"Pat Connaughton's a world class athlete, but his future is in baseball. I'm still convinced of that."

The 6-foot-5 Connaughton made a solid impression during his brief stint at Aberdeen, his fastball clocked in the upper 90s. He reports from extended spring training also were favorable.

"He looks good," Duquette said. "He's in good shape, has a nice delivery, good fastball, excellent aptitude for pitching. He has all the skills to be a qualified major league starting pitcher. They're all there."

He's just got to get here.