Showalter on Davis, Bleier and Joseph (O's down 2-0)

The Orioles have an expanded bench tonight after they selected Corban Joseph's contract from Double-A Bowie. It includes first baseman Chris Davis, who's sitting out his third consecutive game and likely won't be in the lineup Saturday afternoon against left-hander Wei-Yin Chen.

Joseph is starting at first base and leading off against Marlins right-hander José Ureña.

"Chris is continuing with some things that he's working on and when they come to me and say they think he's ready to get back in the lineup, I'll put him back in there, but it's nothing imminent," said manager Buck Showalter.

Showalter wasn't specific about who's been working with Davis, though hitting coach Scott Coolbaugh and assistant hitting coach Howie Clark figure to be involved. Maybe vice president of baseball operations Brady Anderson. It could be a group effort.

"When they and we feel like Chris is ready ... I'm not in the cages working with him every day. But when they think he's ready to play, he'll play, and we'll sit down and talk about it," Showalter said.

"I talked to Chris before I came down here just to let him know, in case you guys were asking what the approach is. And he already knew that before today. But he was soaking wet when I was talking to him. He's working on some things and they'll let me know when it's time."

Maybe it's Sunday against Marlins right-hander Trevor Richards. Maybe it's after Monday's off-day, when the Orioles travel to D.C. for a three-game series against the Nationals before heading to Atlanta.

When a reporter suggested it could be a week or two, Showalter replied, "I don't think it will be that long."

"Heck, I hope it's tomorrow, I hope it's the day after tomorrow," he said. "I just know it's not today and there's no closed end on it, but I'm hoping it's sooner rather than later. I'd love to get back Chris Davis that we all know he's capable of. It hasn't been there this year, but with kind of a new approach and some new things you're trying, all of a sudden you do it.

"This is not something that you're going to do one day in a workout and it's all going to pop in one night. If that was the case it would have happened a long time ago. So, this is something you've got to give a little time to and know that when you get into a game and you don't hit a line drive over the center fielder's head the first swing you take that you don't throw everything out. If you're looking for instant return on stuff, this game doesn't allow that."

Mechanical changes must be made with Davis, though there seems to be a mental obstacle, as well. Davis could adjust his stance, how he's griping the bat through his swing.

"There's been some subtle things that you see, but there are a lot of habits there that are hard to just ... and I'm not so sure how much of it would be a confidence thing, too," Showalter said. "Like all hitters, they go through periods where they're not having a lot of success.

"Chris is open to these things. It's not like he's throwing hands up and saying, 'No, I've done it this way.' Chris is trying to fix it. He's tried a lot of things, but I think doing it this way, you're trying not to say, 'OK, if it doesn't click right away then let's go to something else.' He's got a lot of people talking to him and rightfully so - teammates and I'm sure college coaches. Everybody's trying to help him because they like him and they hate seeing anybody struggle.

"This is kind of blinders with, 'Here's what we're going to do and let's throw out everything else and here's where we've got to get to. Here's where we are, here's why this problem is happening, because X is happening and let's eliminate X.

"Will it look completely different? I'm not sure. What I hope looks completely different are the results. Unfortunately, the games don't stop. We need a good Chris Davis. We do. He knows that. And that's what's frustrating for him."

And what's punching holes in his confidence.

"As much as you try to shield yourself sometimes from all that negativism, and Chris will be the first to say he gets it, it's hard to," Showalter said.

"I'd love to see Chris get a good week under his belt and watch what happens. I really would, for a lot of reasons. One, you don't like to see anybody struggle and have those expectations that aren't being met. He's not trying to not be as good as he's capable of being. But he understands how cold it is and what the expectations are. We all do."

Showalter said Davis is available to pinch hit, though it didn't happen in the last two games against the Red Sox.

"If the team needs him, if he's got something that the team's in need of at that time," Showalter said. "We have five guys on the bench right now including him, but that's going to change when we get Andrew Cashner back. It could be Wednesday, it could be Tuesday, it could be Thursday. We really don't need a fifth starter for a while."

Though Joseph is capable of playing multiple positions, he doesn't excel at any of them and his bat from the left side is the primary reason he's back in the majors.

"He's having a really special kind of season for the most part," Showalter said. "You look at all the stats - on-base, the strikeouts, all the things we've been challenged with here, he's been doing it at that level.

"The guy's been around a long time, he's been in the big leagues before. He's played first base and second base mostly. Our lineup doesn't really allow you to space out left-handed hitters too much right now."

Left-hander Richard Bleier is expected to undergo surgery on his left lat muscle, the degree of the tear ending his season and threatening the start of 2019.

"Richard, the second opinion has already seen the test and all the things they ran on him," Showalter said. "Pretty obvious what it is. It's a lat. And there's three different grades of that with three being the worst. I'm not going to get into what they think it is until the doc sees it again, but he's already seen the test, the second doctor who's considered like an expert on it.

"If they do a procedure, it would be in New Jersey. I think Richard's the one who's going to make the final decisions, obviously, but there's potential for surgery on it. I can tell you that. I don't expect him to play again this year.

"That's one I really hope I'm wrong on, but from what everybody's indicating ... The worst-case is it's a Grade 3 and he has surgery and he returns sometime next season. It's a tough one on Richard. First time he's really established himself."

Showalter provided a pep talk in an attempt to ease the emotional pain.

"I told him, 'The good news is you've established yourself and there's going to be a job there for you when you when you come back and this is something they can repair. You're going to be able to pay the bills while you're inactive. Just think about if it was the other way around, if you had done this in the minor leagues and you weren't established in the big leagues.

"I gave him all the positive sides because there's a lot. We'd love to have him back, I'd like to have him pitching, but it's been fun to watch him take the opportunity he was given and the responsibility that had been added to his role and see him run with it."

Showalter will avoid relaying any potential dates for Bleier's return, knowing how easily the timetables can bend and expand.

"You may get one gloom and doom, pain the worst-case scenario medical opinion," Showalter said. "Another one paints it too positive. I do know this, I have a ton of confidence in (head athletic trainer) Brian Ebel and his staff and the things they've been able to do with guys.

"I think Richard will be a pitcher again at the earliest possible time that you could come back from that."

Update: Brian Anderson's ground ball with two outs in the fifth inning scooted under Danny Valencia and scored Miguel Rojas with the game's first run. The Orioles' only hit is Joseph's single leading off the fourth.

Update II: Lewis Brinson's second triple of the night scored JT Riddle in the sixth inning and gave Miami a 2-0 lead. Kevin Gausman lasted 5 2/3 innings and 107 pitches.