Orioles selecting Nolan Reimold's contract on Tuesday

The Orioles will select outfielder Nolan Reimold's contract from Triple-A Norfolk prior to Tuesday night's game against the Red Sox, according to industry sources.

The club will need to create room on the 25-man roster for Reimold, who signed a minor league deal on Feb. 3 following a lengthy negotiation.

The Orioles are playing a man short while left-hander Brian Matusz serves the five remaining games on his suspension for having a foreign substance on his right arm. They had a three-man bench on Sunday after activating starter Bud Norris from the disabled list and optioning infielder Rey Navarro to Norfolk.

Reimold is batting .286/.351/.389 with 12 doubles, two home runs, 13 RBIs, 16 walks and five stolen bases in six attempts over 46 games.

In 14 games since May 22, Reimold has batted .422 (19-for-45) with a .469 on-base percentage. He has six multi-hit games and he leads the International League in average and OBP over that stretch.

The Orioles also have considered bringing up outfielder/first baseman Chris Parmelee, but they apparently prefer a right-handed bat. Reimold could be slotted into the leadoff spot, allowing third baseman Manny Machado to slide down the order.

Because Reimold is out of options, the Orioles have been hesitant to select his contract. They believe he would be claimed off waivers if they tried to pass him through and outright him. He batted .340/.439/.489 in 24 exhibition games this spring and still failed to break camp with the team.

Reimold's minor league deal includes a July 12 opt-out date.

The Orioles selected Reimold in the second round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft out of Bowling Green. The Blue Jays and Diamondbacks selected him off waivers in 2014 before he returned to the organization.

Reimold, fully recovered from corrective surgery to fuse vertebrae in his neck, is a career .251/.324/.439 hitter in parts of six major league seasons.