Relievers left to wonder whether there's room for them in 'pen

SARASOTA, Fla. - The first full-squad workout today will feature 14 pitchers throwing live batting practice spread over four fields.

Andrew Cashner, Dylan Bundy and Sean Gilmartin will throw off the Ed Smith Stadium mound. Nathan Karns, David Hess, Hunter Harvey and Cody Carroll are grouped together. So are Luis Ortiz, Dillon Tate, Evan Phillips and Tanner Scott.

Gabriel Ynoa, Branden Kline and Jimmy Yacabonis are together on another back field.

Left-hander Richard Bleier will throw another bullpen session on Tuesday and be included in live batting practice sessions later in the week, as the Orioles slow-play him in camp following his lat surgery. It's just a small adjustment that gets him ready for opening day, a more important goal than the early spring training games.

Jonathan Villar will join the workouts this morning after arriving in Sarasota yesterday. Alcides Escobar is traveling today and should be on the field Tuesday morning.

Still no updates on catcher Jesús Sucre and pitcher Gregory Infante, who remain in Venezuela with visa and health issues, respectively.

Manager Brandon Hyde has been asked specific roster questions in the early days of camp that are hard to answer with the team so unsettled. He doesn't know who's filling out the rotation or making the start on opening day. He doesn't know the composition of his lineup, let alone his bench. The assignment of roles can't be determined in the middle of February.

The Orioles could break with two or three left-handed relievers. It's too soon to make that determination, which keeps Paul Fry on the roster bubble.

Bleier and Scott are favorites to head north. Meanwhile, Fry made 35 appearances last summer as a rookie and posted a 3.35 ERA and 1.274 WHIP in 37 2/3 innings. He slithered out of a late-season slump with three scoreless innings in back-to-back outings, both times retiring all nine batters he faced in his final outings.

Fry could show up in camp with the sense that he'd have to pitch his way off the team or he's fighting again for his professional life.

"Of course, I want to think that I did enough last year, but I know it's a new regime, new faces, new eyes on me," he said this morning. "There's opportunities for everybody, so I know that people are on my heels as much as I'm on other people's heels. It's a big competitive factor and no spot is guaranteed ever."

His chances increase exponentially with a third left-hander in the bullpen. Donnie Hart and Gilmartin, a non-roster invitee, provide competition.

John Means, Josh Rogers and Chris Lee are other southpaws on the camp roster. Means and Rogers are vying for spots in the rotation and management could decide to put them in Triple-A Norfolk's rotation if they don't crack the 25-man roster. An oblique injury slowed Lee last spring, limiting him to 10 relief appearances at Double-A Bowie and five games (three starts) with the Tides, and he'd have to leapfrog some guys to land at Yankee Stadium on March 28.

"Whatever they want me to do to help contribute, I'm prepared for it," Lee said. "Of course, the main goal is to break camp. Come out here and compete every day and what happens happens.

"Last season had its ups and downs, but overall I felt like I put some quality innings in and just prepare for this year. I just look back at last year as another stepping stone to continuing with my career and taking it to the next level."

Lee's had a couple of bullpen sessions since pitchers and catchers reported and he's fine physically.

"Everything's good," he said. "I'm blessed. I can't complain. I'm just ready."

So is Fry, who knows that everyone else is situated behind Bleier and Scott.

"I think the biggest thing for me is just to prove that I can pitch to both lefties and righties this spring," he said, "so hopefully there's room in the bullpen for three lefties and one that can pitch to both."

Right-handers actually hit .218/.292/.264 against Fry last summer and lefties hit .264/.381/.321, prohibiting him from entering specialist territory.