Latest roster cuts and updating Gentry, Davis and Hays

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles reassigned infielders Erick Salcedo and Garabez Rosa to minor league camp following yesterday's game in Clearwater.

Salcedo was competing for a spot as the utility infielder. He impressed at second base and shortstop and also went 4-for-8 with a double. Rosa, who was 3-for-16 with a double and home run, played first base and is expected to remain at the position in the minors.

"Salcedo can catch the ball," said manager Buck Showalter. "Very intelligent, a smart baseball player, a guy you can trust. He knows how to play the game. Same things that they told me about him. It was a good experience for us to get to know him a little bit better.

"He loves to play and he knows how to play."

Salcedo knows to stay ready because a spot could open for him later.

"That's why people like him so much," Showalter said. "He loves the game and he's not going to let anybody bring his approach or his mentality down. He understands that, by us bringing him to this major league camp that we think he can help us potentially because he's a guy you can trust."

Rosa was attending his first camp with the Orioles after numerous appearances on the "extra players" roster.

"It seems like we have had him here for a while," Showalter said. "Quite frankly, there was some competition for him and if we didn't give him that major league invitation, he wouldn't have come back and we wanted him back. There aren't many people here with a consistent track record in the minor leagues in hitting like Rosy.

"He can hit. He's a much-coveted player in winter ball. He likes to play, he keeps playing. That's why you can never sell those guys short. They keep plying their trade, they keep grinding in winter ball, they keep doing the things that it takes.

"I have no doubt that if we brought him up that he would ambush some people offensively for a while. He just needs to be more selective once guys kind of get a feel for him."

The camp roster is down to 63 players and Showalter will attempt to keep making cuts on a daily basis.

Outfielder Craig Gentry said his left hamstring feels much better and he expects to play Tuesday against the Twins in Fort Myers. Gentry felt the hamstring grab while attempting a diving catch against the Red Sox on Feb. 25.

Showalter said Chris Davis' right forearm/elbow feels a little better today. Davis underwent an MRI yesterday that didn't show any structural damage.

"Three to five days," Showalter said. "Anytime you start dealing in that area you're concerned, but we were good to get the structural feel behind us, so I think you'll see him, hopefully it manages well and he gets back in the flow sometime next week.

"I don't think this was from swinging. This was just irritation he had there from throwing and kind of got away from him. Good to get it out of the way early, the way I look at it. He'll have plenty of at-bats before we break if can get back on somewhere in that five- or six-day period."

The Orioles trust that Davis won't try to rush back. They noted his concern before the MRI.

"I can tell by the way he feels now that he wants to make sure it doesn't go backward again," Showalter said. "We're going to be cautious with it and I don't think we're going to have to hold Chris back from it."

The Orioles could use Davis again as the designated hitter or wait until he's able to play first base before returning him to the lineup. Showalter will keep checking with head athletic trainer Brian Ebel.

Outfielder Austin Hays is expected back in the lineup later this week, shortly after Gentry's return on Tuesday. Hays received a cortisone injection last week behind his right shoulder.

"I think he's a little bit further away," Showalter said. "They want to make sure he's able to throw and can respond the next day and not have any setbacks."

Showalter continues to notice how far Chris Tillman has progressed from this point last spring. The Orioles have owned a front row seat since Tillman began working out at the complex.

"That's one of the attractions for us signing him and bringing him back was we knew what he was able to do this year that he wasn't able to do last year," Showalter said. "I think Chris is in a situation now where he's in a lot better pitching shape, so he can now do some things he wasn't able to do last year between now and the time we break camp or whenever his first start might be during the season. But I think whether it equates into more success, it certainly doesn't hurt.

"When you have a history with someone like him, we know what he does leading into camp when things are good and last year wasn't one of them."

Showalter said no one has "separated themselves" negatively in the battle for the fifth spot in the rotation.