Orioles reassign Garner, more on right field situation (O's down 3-1)

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have reassigned reliever Perci Garner to minor league camp before today's game against the Blue Jays.

The camp roster is down to 51 players.

Garner tossed three scoreless and hitless innings in his three appearances, with two walks and two strikeouts. He made the trip to Port Charlotte yesterday and escaped a jam after a pair of two-out walks.

The Orioles signed Garner as a minor league free agent on Dec. 1 and he underwent arthroscopic surgery later in the month to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

The Phillies chose Garner in the second round of the 2010 draft out of Ball State University. His major league experience consists of eight relief appearances with the Indians in 2016, when he allowed five earned runs (six total) and 12 hits with 12 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings. Wrist and calf injuries limited him to 13 appearances last summer between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus.

Garner, 29, turned down an offer from the Pirates and signed with the Orioles.

Too many days remain in camp to know every player who's heading north, and right field is one of the bigger mysteries.

I'm asked almost on a daily basis about the likely starter and it still appears to be a platoon situation with Colby Rasmus the left half of it after he signed a minor league deal. The right-handed bat could be supplied by veteran Craig Gentry, also on a minor league deal, rookie Austin Hays or former Rule 5 pick Joey Rickard.

Danny Valencia can play the outfield corners and he continues to torment left-handed pitching, but the Orioles would have to abandon their plan to upgrade the defense. Valencia isn't in the same glove league as the three players mentioned above.

Anthony Santander, a switch-hitter who's still holding Rule 5 status for the first 44 days, would provide another option for manager Buck Showalter. But he's also below Gentry, Hays and Rickard on the defensive scale.

Santander could be sent down after 44 days, with one of the losers in the competition taking his roster spot. Valencia is excluded, of course, because he's not going to the minors.

If he keeps hitting like this, he's going to find his at-bats with the Orioles in whatever role suits them on a particular day.

Gentry is healthy again after being slowed by a sore hamstring. He's 4-for-12 and bringing the same tools and intangibles that made manager Buck Showalter covet him again over the winter.

"He's a guy that off the bench they go, 'OK, they've got Gentry. We're going to have to do this,'" Showalter said. "I've seen them in a short period not bring in certain pitchers because they can't hold runners. I've seen the weapons he gives us defensively because he can play all three above average, he can throw above average. And he can hold his own against ...

"it's not just a pure platoon thing. He's well-rounded with a lot of ways to impact your club. When you can take a player and serve multiple needs, whether it's defense, whether it's throwing, whether it's running the bases, whether it's hitting, he can give you a jolt on the day that he plays. A day game after a 14-inning game. He's always ready to play and he's a pro. He's a baseball player."

Update: Nestor Cortes Jr. retired the first two batters on ground balls to shortstop Manny Machado, but Lourdes Gurriel singled and Jason Leblebijian followed with an RBI double to left-center field for a 1-0 lead.

Cortes threw 17 pitches, 11 for strikes, by my count. His first three pitches to Leblebijian were clocked at 69, 88 and 72 mph.

Update II: Rasmus led off the bottom of the first with a walk, took second on Trey Mancini's fly ball to right-center field and scored with two outs on Adam Jones' single to left field. We're tied 1-1.

Update III: Cortes gave up another run in the second on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s leadoff single and Jonathan Davis' infield hit with two outs. The Orioles are down 2-1.

Update IV: Cortes allowed three runs and six hits in three innings and the Orioles are behind 3-1.

Cortes has allowed five runs and 11 hits in seven innings in his three starts.