More notes and quotes from Fenway Park (updated)

BOSTON - Orioles manager Buck Showalter met with struggling starter Ubaldo Jimenez this afternoon and told the right-hander that he's headed to the bullpen.

How did Jimenez take the news?

"Good. As good as ... Ubaldo knows," Showalter said.

"He's responded well. I think we had to it one other time in 2014 and he responded well. It's tough with a guy that might have been our best starting pitcher last year. We just reached a point where we kept waiting and waiting for him to find his stride. Looking for another way to possibly try to get him back in line because we need what he's capable of bringing as a starter. Hoping this gives him a little chance to back off.

"He understands. He wants to contribute. It's frustrating for him and we're frustrated for him because it's keep trying to figure out something that we're missing. Hopefully, this can be good in the long run."

The Orioles recalled Odrisamer Despaigne from Triple-A Norfolk and put him in the bullpen as the replacement for Vance Worley, who went on the 15-day disabled list today with a strained right groin.

"We need that length with Worley gone," Showalter said. "We're always going to have to cover ourselves.

"Talking to R.J. (Ron Johnson) and everybody down there, Brian Graham, he's the best we have for our need down there. He's been throwing the ball real well."

Worley should be ready when his 15 days are up.

"Felt it toward the end of his outing, I believe, in Toronto," Showalter said. "Came in yesterday and it wasn't much better. The tough thing is they don't think he'll be available this series or the next, but if we had that 10-day DL in the minor leagues, seven, we'd probably put him on that, but we don't. Why don't they have that in the big leagues? Probably because people would abuse it, right? People who use the DL for improper purposes. We'd never do that.

"I think Vance will be ready before the 15 days. The problem is he's never had a leg issue before, so we just don't have any history to go on. He couldn't pitch today and we wouldn't want to lose the backdate day. There were a lot of different ways we could have done it, but he's having a good year and he's a big part of our bullpen.

"The problem is, say it's six days from now, you still don't know what's going to happen when he pitches. There's another 10-20 percent when a guy pitches that you go at. Can you imagine Sunday in Toronto if we brought him in at the end of this period and he had a problem with it. Paul Janish is pitching in the third inning. So we'd rather clean it up. He'll be back for the last 87-88 games we have, hopefully."

Showalter will be eager to check the Double-A Bowie boxscore and reports later to find out how shortstop J.J. Hardy fared in his first injury rehab game.

The Orioles aren't saying when Hardy could come off the disabled list.

"Today's a big day," Showalter said. "If we get through this day and feels good, I probably can address that. This is the first time he's gone full bore in a game situation. Dave Anderson is with him, our infield coordinator. It will be J.J.'s call.

"I talked to (Bowie manager) Gary Kendall with J.J. there and he said, 'How do you want to do this?' I said, 'It's up to J.J.' You try to hit him up in the order so that he gets his at-bats. I'd love to hear back that he played five or six innings and he got three at-bats. He may do more. I don't know.

"It was J.J. who called and said, 'I think I'm ready to go. Let's go.' He got on a plane and flew to Baltimore."

Catcher Caleb Joseph also is in Bowie, but he's not playing tonight. He remains on the disabled list after sustaining a testicular injury and undergoing a surgical procedure.

"Caleb is in Bowie taking batting practice and throwing," Showalter said. "Tomorrow is the day the doctor sees him and I expect him to possibly DH for Bowie tomorrow. They won't clear him completely to catch until the 27th if everything goes well, so he can DH and hit until that point."

Showalter also said reliever Darren O'Day, on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, is "progressing little by little."

The Orioles haven't named a starter for Thursday night's game in Boston, but Yovani Gallardo is pitching Saturday afternoon against the Blue Jays at Camden Yards. He's finally ready to come off the disabled list after working five innings last night for Triple-A Norfolk and allowing only a leadoff home run to Charlotte's Carlos Sanchez.

"Gallardo went well," Showalter said. "Played in a hitter's ballpark against one of the better hitting teams there and the reports were good on him, so he's back with us. Hopefully, his work day will go well and he'll pitch for us Saturday."

Gallardo is looking forward to making his fifth start for the Orioles and the first since April 22 in Kansas City. He's been on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis.

"I felt good," he said. "I think going into last night, the most important thing was being able to repeat that amount of pitches. I felt strong from the first pitch to the last pitches that I threw, so I'm excited. I'm excited to, whenever I get that opportunity, to finally get off the DL and help the team."

Gallardo seems to be following the same pattern as spring training, when he came on strong at the end. His last rehab start last night easily was his finest.

"Maybe a little bit," he said. "The first couple starts, you're always trying to work on certain things mechanics-wise. You're not really worried about results. And I think yesterday once you're closer to coming back, it's more intensity, a little bit more trying to work the pitch sequences and that sort of thing to get you ready for that first start. That's what we talked about yesterday. It was just a matter of going out there and executing the pitches."

Looking back at it, Gallardo is glad that the Orioles made the decision to DL him and have him strengthen the shoulder.

"Of course," he said. "It was the first three weeks getting that strength back in the shoulder. Obviously, it took a little longer than I expected. I knew it was going to take two weeks at the most and it ended up taking three, so I'm just a week behind.

"I know it was a lot of hard work with those guys in the training room. It wasn't easy stuff. We worked together and got back as soon as we can and not have to worry about anything and did it properly. I think we did the right thing."

Gallardo also is noticeably thinner, the weight loss another product of the conditioning exercises.

"Just being in the gym, just getting back in shape," he said. "I think I took advantage of that, time being out, just to make sure that I was ready, make sure I was prepared whenever I have that first start back.

"Those guys in the training room and the weight room, took a lot of hard work to get where I am right now. I'm excited. I feel good. My arm feels great, 100 percent. I just can't wait."

Update: Joey Rickard singled with one out in the first inning and Manny Machado homered inside the Pesky Pole in right field to give the Orioles a quick 2-0 lead over David Price.