Chavez expected to rejoin Orioles (updated)

The Orioles plan on selecting Endy Chavez's contract on Tuesday, giving them an extra outfielder and a plus-defender in Nick Markakis' absence. They had discussed bringing him up from Triple-A Norfolk once rosters expanded on Sept. 1. He's currently in New York because the Orioles wanted him to stay close. Chavez batted .190/.222/.281 with five doubles, two home runs and eight RBIs in 47 games. He also went on the disabled list twice and was designated for assignment when the Orioles purchased Nate McLouth's contract. Chavez cleared waivers, accepted an outright assignment to Norfolk and batted .149/.192/.213 with three doubles in 15 games. The Orioles must clear room for Chavez on the 40-man roster. Executive vice president Dan Duquette will continue to check on available outfielders from other organizations. Markakis is undergoing a CT scan on his left thumb today at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and he'll undergo an MRI on Monday. He's expected to visit a hand specialist in Sarasota later this week. The Orioles are still hopeful that Markakis can avoid surgery and be available if they make the playoffs. Jason Hammel and Miguel Gonzalez had good bullpen sessions this morning and are expected to start two of the three games against the Rays at Camden Yards. The Orioles will announce their rotation for the series later today. Shameless plug alert: I'm appearing on "O's Xtra," which airs today on MASN beginning at 1 p.m. I'll talk more about Markakis and the rotation. UPDATE: Hammel is starting Tuesday and Gonzalez is starting Wednesday. Thursday remains TBA. Could be Wei-Yin Chen or Chris Tillman.