Orioles release Bourn again (O's down 4-1)

The Orioles released outfielder Michael Bourn from his minor league contract today, making him a free agent who can sign with any team.

Bourn reached the opt-out date on his deal and the Orioles didn't have a spot for him on their four-man bench. He was batting .220/.373/.317 in 11 games.

Bourn re-signed with the Orioles on Feb. 22, was released on March 27 after breaking his right ring finger in spring training and signed again on April 11.

The broken finger occurred while Bourn was catching a football in a drill at the Ed Smith Stadium complex.

The Orioles value Bourn's speed and defense, and he's a good clubhouse presence. However, they have Seth Smith and Hyun Soo Kim batting from the left side and Mark Trumbo, Joey Rickard and Trey Mancini from the right.

Kim can't be optioned and the Orioles need Rickard and Mancini versus left-handed pitchers. Rickard also is a late-inning pinch-runner and defensive replacement.

The Norfolk outfield includes Craig Gentry, Logan Schafer, Mike Yastrzemski, Chris Dickerson and Pedro Álvarez, the latter trying to learn a new position and struggling to get comfortable.

Meanwhile, infielder Ryan Flaherty continues to wait on his platelet-rich plasma injection, pushing back his eventual return from the disabled list.

"We're going to get another look at the MRI to make sure they get the right spot with the PRP," said manager Buck Showalter. "I think he going to get that in the next day or two and head down to Sarasota."

The Orioles want to make certain that Flaherty's discomfort is related to his rotator cuff and not his lat.

"The doctor wanted to see one more angle to make sure they put it in the right place," Showalter said.

There's nothing new with Rule 5 outfielder Anthony Santander, who remains at extended spring training after receiving a PRP injection. He's on the disabled list with soreness in his right elbow and eventually could move to the 60-day DL if the Orioles need to open a spot on the 40-man roster. They're currently at 39.

"He's a while (away)," Showalter said.

Santander needs to be on the active roster for 90 days to shed his Rule 5 status.

"He's got a chance," Showalter said. "He's a good-looking hitter. Just hope he gets to the point where he can play winter ball."

Norfolk third baseman Chris Johnson, son of manager Ron Johnson, is taking dry swings in Sarasota while recovering from a broken right forearm that required surgery.

I wrote earlier that Double-A Bowie outfielder Cedric Mullins is serving as the designated hitter in extended spring training and should be nearing a return from his hamstring injury.

"It was a pretty significant hamstring," Showalter said, "and they're taking it slow to make sure."

Update: J.J. Hardy homered with one out in the third to reduce the Twins' lead to 4-1. José Berríos had retired the first seven batters.

The Twins sent nine batters to the plate in the first inning, worked Chris Tillman for 36 pitches and scored three runs. They collected four hits and walked twice. And they scored again in the second inning on doubles by Brian Dozier and Max Kepler while raising Tillman's pitch count to 57.