Gentry back in lineup and continuing to impress

SARASOTA, Fla. - Catcher Caleb Joseph isn't in today's lineup against the Rays and he's wearing a protective sleeve over his left elbow. However, he said that he's available to play and his seat on the bench isn't due to the Mark Appel pitch that slammed off his arm.

Francisco Peña is getting the start today against the Rays.

Chris Dickerson did some early hitting today, his first swings since being nailed on the right elbow Sunday against the Twins and leaving the game in the third inning. He said he's feeling much better.

Craig Gentry gets the start in center field after sitting out yesterday's game. He's had occasional discomfort in his groin and manager Buck Showalter doesn't want it to turn into a serious injury.

"It's manageable," Gentry said. "If it was during the season, it wouldn't be a problem at all, but it's spring training. You kind of want to get ahead of these things and knock them out.

"It's just a little tight and it just kind of flares up here and there, but it's not a big deal."

This is the best that Gentry has felt physically in a couple of years, his career threatened by injuries - including broken left and right hands and a lumbar strain - and concussion symptoms. He appeared in only 40 major league games in 2015-2016.

"Last couple of years have definitely been tough," he said, "but I'm very grateful for Baltimore for giving me this opportunity to at least come in here and just give me a chance in spring training. That's all you can ask for and like I said, I'm very grateful for that."

Showalter has been praising Gentry since the veteran outfielder first arrived at the Ed Smith Stadium complex on a minor league deal. A plus defender and runner, plus arm, exactly what the Orioles were looking for from the right side of the plate.

If Gentry can stay healthy, he's one of the favorites to head north with the team as an extra outfielder.

"That's tough to say," said Gentry, who's 7-for-24 with two home runs and six RBIs. "I feel like, yeah, I'm going out there and working hard. I feel like I've been playing pretty well, but that's out of my hands. I can't think about stuff like that. I've just got to keep focusing on having fun out here and playing well and just doing whatever I can to help the team win.

"Whatever the team needs is obviously what they're going to do, so that's out of my hands. But yeah, I'm very pleased with myself and being able to come in here and show a little bit of what I can do."