Showalter on Jones and Wieters

Adam Jones is back in center field tonight for the Orioles and Matt Wieters should be catching on Saturday afternoon after both players underwent MRIs in the last 24 hours.

Jones' right shoulder and Wieters' left wrist don't have any structural damage and the Orioles' athletic training staff will continue to treat them in the same manner.

Manager Buck Showalter didn't let Jones make any decisions regarding his inclusion in the lineup, knowing that the All-Star center fielder would have insisted on playing the last two games in New York and again tonight.

"Wanted to take advantage of the off day, see if we could make it a little more comfortable for him with three days off of it," Showalter said. "I know what he's going to say. Sometimes you have to take that out of play. Same way with Matt.

"Hopefully, Matt will be good to go tomorrow. He's available in some fashion."

Showalter stressed that Wieters' elbow is fine, saying, "It's all wrist."

"I'm not going to get into handicapping what he can do and what he can't do, as well, but there are some phases I think he'll be more challenged with the wrist than other ones," Showalter said, referencing the discomfort that Wieters experiences while batting from the right side.

"We did an MRI on him and Adam's shoulder and they're both not requiring anything more than what we're doing, but still you can see where some of the discomfort comes from."

Wieters told Showalter that he didn't aggravate the wrist injury while playing in New York.

"He said no, it's about the same," Showalter said. "It's getting a little better each day. I expect him to start tomorrow afternoon."

Wieters has caught on consecutive days only twice this season, including once since the All-Star break. Showalter isn't worried whether it's going to happen again.

"I don't know. We'll take him any way we can get him," Showalter said.

"We knew coming in that you probably wouldn't get the complete thing until next year, but it's been pretty good. He's made some contributions. I don't know. Maybe. Nothing's really changed to make us think that.

"If anybody would push it, if he and the medical people think it works, we'll do it. It's his call."

Wieters could be playing his final games with the Orioles as a pending free agent set to hit the market for the first time. His status won't influence how Showalter uses him.

"The bottom line of everything is what's best for the Baltimore Orioles that night," Showalter said. "I like all the guys that wear our uniform and always try to put them in the right light that they deserve, but at the end of the day we're trying to win every game, and most of the time that's with Matt in it.

"It's actually pretty simple in a lot of ways the way I approach it anyway. Matt comes to John (Russell) and I and says, 'Hey, I think I'm ready to go back-to-back,' and we do it. I'm always looking for ways, whether it be at first base, DH, catch, we try to make use of him.

"I think he's only going to get better and better, even as this season goes on, and next year. I think Matt's established and proved to everyone what he's capable of doing when healthy."