Ondrusek getting second opinion on elbow

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles reliever Logan Ondrusek remains shut down except for conditioning drills and will receive a second opinion on his right elbow from specialist Dr. James Andrews after undergoing an MRI-arthrogram on Wednesday.

Ondrusek will visit Andrews during the week of March 20 and he's braced for the worst.

Confirming that he had the results of his MRI, Ondrusek said, "I do, but I'm kind of waiting to see until I get a second opinion as far as what we're going to do and everything like that. It's not the outcome I wanted, but until I talk to Andrews and see what he has to say ... I don't think it's going to change a whole lot, but it's one of those things we're just going to wait and see and go from there.

"I'm going to go see him and talk to him. I've never met the guy and I'd like to be able to sit down and ask questions and stuff like that, too. Just to clarify certain things or whatever it is."

Ondrusek felt some discomfort in his elbow while facing his last batter Monday against the Tigers in Lakeland. He gave up a two-run homer earlier in the inning.

"I mean, I've done this for so long that you get soreness and you're sore one day and it's not there the next day," he said. "It's just one of those things where over time and seasons, nobody in here is going to come in every day and be 100 percent. But this is one of those things where it's one pitch and it's kind of like, what the heck was that?

"You don't think anything of it. I've gone out there and thrown when I was really sore and I was fine. And this one was just, afterward I felt fine. I didn't think anything was going on and woke up in the middle of the night and it was hurting a little bit and had to get it checked out.

"Could have it been something before? I don't know. It's just hard to say."

Anything involving a pitcher's elbow is going to bring a certain level of concern. Talking to Ondrusek this afternoon, it's apparent that he's wondering if his season is in jeopardy.

"When it comes to that, you're always worried," he said. "Whether you have to have surgery or you don't have to have surgery and go the rehab route, you never know until you get all the options on the table. Obviously, I don't want it to be a season, obviously I want to go in there and they say, 'You're perfectly fine.' Until you get all the information from both sides, you put everything together and then come up with a plan."

The Orioles re-signed Ondrusek over the winter to a one-year, $650,000 deal with an option for 2018 after declining his 2017 option and making him a free agent. He's appeared in only two exhibition games, his debut delayed by an ankle injury sustained in workouts.

"If I had a five-year deal, it's a big deal, but it's not as big of a deal because then you still have the certainty of, 'Oh, I've got five years,' " he said. "When you're fighting for spots and doing things like that, obviously you want to make sure you're taking the right steps and the right process to get back as healthy and as quick as you can.

"Sometimes it's a little thing. Sometimes it's a big thing. It's just a matter of what everyone says and come up with the best plan and the best outcome."

The Orioles are headed to Fort Myers for tonight's game against the Red Sox. Meanwhile, Ondrusek was back in street clothes at his locker.

"There's not a whole lot to do," eh said. "It's just one of those where you stay in shape and try and be as ready as you can for whatever the outcome is."