Notes on Hyun Soo Kim and Miguel Gonzalez, plus a look around the AL East

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez pitched well. Matt Wieters was back behind the plate. And we found out officially that outfielder Hyun Soo Kim will not be on the Orioles' opening day roster.

Some clarity emerged last night as the Orioles spent one of their last days in Florida.

Gonzalez is far from alone here, but he has given some fans reasons to be concerned about him when the season starts. But my guess is he will be in the season-opening rotation. Last night, he allowed one run in five innings against the Braves. The MASN cameras and radar gun showed his fastball topping at 88 mph in the early innings. He was not a flame-thrower to begin with and had a night where he didn't walk a batter and threw some very good split-finger fastballs, showing his solid out pitch can still be effective.

If Kim winds up in the minor leagues, perhaps that is the best result at this time for the 28-year-old outfielder from Seoul, South Korea. Kim has hit .182/.229/.182 this spring, going 8-for-44 without an extra-base hit.

It seems at times he's had trouble adjusting to the velocity seen in the majors. If he consents to go to the minors, he could get some needed reps and perhaps return to help the team later this year. For now, not only did Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard make this team, he might be the starting left fielder come Monday.

Orioles vice-president Dan Duquette said this about Kim last night on the MASN telecast: "Well, we talked to Kim and it doesn't look like he's going to be on our 25, so we're trying to figure out the next steps. He didn't get off to a great start with us and then hit some balls pretty good in the middle part of it.

"And then, Joey Rickard just kept playing really, really well. And I think Buck's going to give Joey a shot at left field to be like the everyday left fielder. I mean, he did just about everything you'd want a player to do. He got on base, made all the plays in the outfield, threw to the right bases, even showed a little bit of power. So Rickard had a good camp. We're going to have to figure out what the next step is with Kim."

The Orioles looked like a pretty set team with a somewhat set 25-man roster heading into the spring. But as the days under the Florida sun dwindle, those looks might have been deceiving.

Around the American League East: The Boston Red Sox are planning a platoon in left field of Brock Holt and Chris Young. That makes Rusney Castillo the odd man out. This report says the San Diego Padres have scouted Boston third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who last year hit just .245 with 10 homers, 47 RBIs and an OPS of .658. The Red Sox named David Price to start on opening day and knuckleballer Steven Wright appears to be in the lead for the fifth starter's spot right now.

The New York Yankees will probably send Masahiro Tanaka to the mound on opening day. But he recently drew some mild criticism from his skipper. Tanaka had a spring ERA of 7.36 heading into Tuesday's start. But then he pitched well against the Phillies before the game was rained out after four innings yesterday. He allowed seven hits and one run in the four frames. Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury recently returned to the lineup after dealing with a bruised right wrist.

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada will likely begin the year on the disabled list. Estrada missed the first month of spring training with back tightness after injuring himself attempting a martial arts move in the offseason. His first start is set for April 10. Marcus Stroman will start Sunday's season opener against Tampa Bay. The Blue Jays are installing a new dirt infield at Rogers Centre.

The Tampa Bay Rays will begin the year with a four-man rotation of Chris Archer, Drew Smyly, Jake Odorizzi and Matt Moore. They won't need a fifth starter very often in the season's first few weeks.

Sizing up the AL East: Click here for a look at CBSSports.com's AL East season preview. Take a wild guess which team is predicted to finish last.

Trade central: Baseball America provides some insight in this entry about last night's trade. The Orioles sent left-hander Chris Jones to the Los Angeles Angels for minor league outfielder Natanael Delgado and infielder Erick Salcedo. Jones had recently been designated for assignment. Delgado was ranked as the Angels' No. 29 prospect by Baseball America.