Adam Jones is just one of four Orioles who could potentially start for the AL in the All Star Game. (Image Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

Balloting for next month’s MLB All Star Game continues to plug along and the latest update for the American League was released on Saturday night, with four members of the Baltimore Orioles setting themselves up for a trip to New York for the game at Citi Field. First baseman Chris Davis, shortstop J.J. Hardy, and outfielders Adam Jones and Nick Markakis could wind up in the starting lineup for the AL if voting were to end today. Third baseman Miguel Cabrera is also on pace to set a new all time record for total votes.

The Baltimore foursome is the significant observation from the latest totals, as it’s been awhile since the team has potentially sent this many starters to the game. Davis is currently leading the Major Leagues with 22 HR and has a good hold on the starting job at first base. His 2,999,094 total votes are second among all vote getters in the American League. Hardy’s 1,871,010 votes sit roughly 500,000 ahead of Elvis Andrus of the Texas Rangers.

Jones and Mike Trout are running away with the outfield race by a solid margin and seem virtually certain to make their way into the starting lineup on July 16th. Jones (2,740,505) and Trout (2,710,115) have become too of the most popular players in the game, so the result is hardly a surprise. Markakis, however, just recently stepped into the third outfielder spot with a surge that moved him ahead of Torii Hunter. His 1,463,392 votes place him in the thick of the closest race with Hunter, Jose Bautista, Nelson Cruz, and Nate McLouth.

Cabrera, meanwhile, is far-and-away the leading vote getter across both leagues. To this point on the season he’s hitting .354/.447/.630 with 18 HR and 69 RBI – leading the league in batting average and RBI once again after winning the Triple Crown a year ago. His 3,277,890 votes put him on a good pace to challenge Josh Hamilton’s record. Hamilton had 3,833,504 on June 11th last year and finished with 11,073,744.

Robinson Cano, Joe Mauer, and David Ortiz round out the remaining leading vote getters at second base, catcher, and designated hitter, respectively.

Yovani Gallardo could be a potential trade target this summer but he likely won’t be an option for the Baltimore Orioles, who’ll reportedly be looking for additional starting pitching. (Image Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports)

One of baseball’s biggest surprises in 2012, the Baltimore Orioles haven’t quite gotten the quick start that some expected from them this season. The team still sits in the thick of things in the AL East, tied for 2nd place entering today’s games, but there are some clear areas that they could look to improve in the coming weeks. One particular need they’d like to address is their starting rotation, but the team appears unlikely to target the bigger name options who may become available this summer, according to Jon Heyman at CBSSports.com.

Heyman specifically mentions Matt Garza, Yovani Gallardo, and Cliff Lee as potentially available arms who the Orioles are unlikely to pursue. In fact, Heyman believes that if the Orioles do make a move it would only be for a “lower tiered” option as they do not have a ton of financial room to work with.

Garza has a demonstrated track record in the division from his time with the Tampa Bay Rays. He missed a big chunk of time to begin the year but appears to be healthy, only the Orioles appear to have little interest in acquiring him. Gallardo’s best seasons came while working with Rick Peterson, the team’s current pitching coach, but again it seems that the interest from the team’s front office is minimal. Lee is the best pitcher who might be available, but due to his exorbitant contract situation and the fact that Baltimore is reportedly one of the team’s on his no-trade list, he seems highly unlikely.

Heyman mentions Josh Johnson, Ricky Nolasco, Bud Norris, and Jason Vargas as potential fits. It remains unclear if they’ll become available and what the potential cost may prove to be (there’s virtually zero chance that the Orioles will move either of their top prospects – right-handers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman). There should be numerous other options on the trade market, however, if the Orioles are serious about making an acquisition of some sort. The team could also get Tsuyoshi Wada back in the coming weeks, which could reduce their need to pickup an option from outside the organization.

The first of Chien-Ming Wang’s opt-out dates has come and gone with him remaining a Yankee. (Image Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports)

Chien-Ming Wang’s minor league contract with the New York Yankees contains multiple opt-out dates, one of which passed yesterday, freeing the right-hander to leave the Yankees organization to join another if he so chooses. Wang has repeatedly stated that he likely will not exercise these clauses unless another team is willing to offer him a Major League contract. According to Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe, as many as six teams expressed interest in the Taiwan native but none were willing to offer more than a minor league deal.

Wang elected to remain with the Yankees and will continue to pitch at Triple-A Scranton. His contract contains three more opt-out dates: June 30th, August 10th, August 31st.

While Cafardo states that six teams expressed an interest in signing Wang, only the Baltimore Orioles have been publicly (by Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun) named as a potential suitor. The team claimed that it was “just giving it their due diligence” and there was never much serious interest on their part.

The 33 year old Wang is 3-4 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.176 WHIP in 50.1 IP across 8 starts on the year. Injuries have derailed a once promising career and Wang has spent most of the past two seasons in the minor leagues. While the Yankees have utilized a number of pitchers on their active roster already this season, they haven’t appeared close to calling up Wang just yet.

If it appears that Baltimore Orioles slugging first baseman Chris Davis is having fun with congratulatory handshakes, it is deserved. Davis has 17 homers this year already. Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been a long time since the Baltimore Orioles have been fun to follow. They went into a two-decade tailspin of being both boring and bad. But although I am not a particular fan of the Orioles’ fortunes, I have found myself checking their box scores with increased scrutiny.

That’s because they have a bunch of guys who are hitting the “Made In Haiti” logo on the ball so hard that the stitches are bursting.

Given that there is only so much time in the day, even if you are an avid baseball fan, it’s challenging to read every box score from every game with a microscope, looking for the tiniest hint of a trend or development. I read every box score, every day, but I can’t study them all with the intensity of a Talmudic scholar.

Certain teams I read every word. Certain players I read every line. Other teams, other players, I glance at every line, but I pay more attention to any player that has two hits in a game or any pitcher that is not lost in the shuffle of middle-relief, single-batter or single-inning anonymity.

In the case of the Orioles, after the 2012, happy-days-are-here-again season, I took them more seriously and began watching their young hitters. The way the boys at the top of the order have been hitting for Baltimore this season they have made it easy to like them.

After the team’s first 52 games (28-24), Chris Davis had 17 home runs and 47 RBIs–and that was before Wednesday night’s game when he went four-for-four against Washington and drove in three runs, while upping his average to .359. Manny Machado was batting .335. Adam Jones had 10 homers, 35 RBIs, and a .318 average. Nick Markasis was hitting .300 on the dot.

After so many disappointments and false starts, it’s no wonder that Orioles fans can let loose with legitimate excitement. That’s a very challenging top of the order for any pitcher to negotiate.

Last year when the Orioles began winning I was of the mind of, “Who are those guys?” I thought the O’s were a fluke and everyone would come back to earth this year. Well, Baltimore is not winning at the same rate, but those players keep proving that they are somebodies.

Machado, the third baseman, is not even 21 yet. He has the makings of a real superstar and is playing at an All-Star level this year.

Markasis has spent his entire Major League career with Baltimore since being brought up at 22 in 2006. He has been a solid bat all along, but now has some reinforcements around him.

Davis got to the majors with the Texas Rangers at 22 in 2008, but had his break-out, 33-homer, 85-RBI season with Baltimore last year. He is definitely playing at an All-Star level.

And Jones was billed as a superstar in the works before those other guys came around. A two-time American League All-Star, Jones is a multi-tool player who hits and hits with power, and fields superbly.

It’s not as if the Orioles are the perfect team. They still have holes and don’t appear likely to go deep into the playoffs. But they have a good shot of making it into the post-season and that group of foursome of batsmen is likely to continue blossoming and improving.

Scott Proctor’s most notable moments on the mound came in pinstripes. The 36 year old announced his retirement from baseball today. (Image Credit: Michael L. Stein-USA TODAY Sports)

Thirty-six year old right-hander Scott Proctor has decided to retire, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Proctor had signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants this past offseason, but was traded to the Baltimore Orioles before the end of Spring Training. Baltimore released him towards the end of April after throwing just 7.1 IP.

Taken in the 5th Round of the 1998 Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Proctor developed into a reliable bulllpen option once he was traded to the New York Yankees at the 2003 July trade deadline (for Robin Ventura). With New York Proctor was a big piece of Joe Torre’s bullpens, appearing in 83 games in back-to-back seasons. He’d spend five years in New York, pitching to a 4.51 ERA  and 1.437 WHIP over 237.1 IP. Proctor would return to the Dodgers in 2007 and have a stint with the Atlanta Braves before calling it a career.

He’d appear in 307 games over seven seasons, posting a 4.78 ERA, 1.469 WHIP, 4.4 BB/9, and 7.6 K/9 in 343.0 IP.

New York Yankees (27-16 overall, 4-3 last week)

The Yankees will gladly welcome back Granderson (Photo: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

The Yankees had eight scheduled games this week because of a doubleheader that was serving as make-up games against the Cleveland Indians. Luckily, only seven of those games were played as Sunday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays was rained out, ironically. The Yankees came into this week only a game up on the Baltimore Orioles, and it stayed that way to end the week. The club traded shutouts with the Indians to start the week, lost their series to the Seattle Mariners, 2-1, but did take both games against the Blue Jays in the weekend series.

The game I wanted to showcase was the beatdown the Mariners put on the Bronx Bombers, 12-2 back on Wednesday. Phil Hughes started the game and recorded only two outs while giving up six hits, seven runs (all earned), two walks, and surrendering one home run. Sadly, Brett Marshall was the sacrificial lamb in his Major League debut, going 5.2 innings giving up nine hits, five runs (all earned), five walks, and two home runs.

• Analysis:

The team did see the return of Curtis Granderson to the lineup, and manager Joe Girardi isn’t just slotting him into his regular center field position. Instead, Granderson has seen time in both left and right field, while the team takes advantage of Brett Gardner‘s defense. General manager Brian Cashman made a few moves this week to help bolster the middle infield. Alberto Gonzalez was designated for assignment after the Yankees acquired Reid Brignac from the Rockies. Meanwhile, earlier in the week, infielder Chris Nelson was also designated for assignment when the club called up 3B/2B David Adams. The team is beginning to get some of their injured starters back, so it’ll be interesting to see how Girardi manages the lineup in the coming weeks.

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Boston Red Sox (27-17 overall, 5-1 last week)

After a week in which the club went 2-5, the Red Sox turned it around on their most recent road trip. First the club made a stop down in Tampa to take on their division foes the Tampa Bay Rays and took two of three. They outscored the Rays 16-10 in the series, and Jon Lester won the battle of the southpaw aces when he defeated reigning Cy Young Award winner, David Price, 12-2. Lester went seven strong innings giving up eight hits and two runs (both earned). Meanwhile, the Sox continued their great week by sweeping the Minnesota Twins in the weekend series. The game to pick out of this three-game set is the final one, where John Lackey pitched six innings while only surrendering one hit and one run, while striking out five.

• Analysis

Our friends at BoSox Injection said it best by saying the key difference between last year’s Red Sox and the current team is resolve. It’s difficult to argue that point because injuries piled up for last year’s team and when they started to head south record-wise, they couldn’t seem to recover. However, this year’s team has seen two of their best bullpen arms (Andrew Bailey and Joel Hanrahan) go down with injuries, as well as David Ortiz and Shane Victorino on the DL for an extended period of time. They have fought through it each time and are now only a half game out of first place. Their starting pitching continues to pace this club.

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Baltimore Orioles (23-20 overall, 0-5 last week)

Rough week for a pitcher who has been dominant since the O’s got out of the cellar last year (Photo: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

It was a rough week to be an Orioles fan. If you had to pin it on something, it would be the pitching staff, most notably the bullpen. Closer Jim Johnson had his worst week in recent memory in which he blew a one-run lead against the San Diego Padres with two outs in the ninth. Then, against the Rays with a two-run cushion, he gave up five runs on three hits and blew another save opportunity. It was truly tough to watch, and O’s fans have to be holding their collective breaths knowing a big part of closing is confidence, after being shellacked twice in as many tries, one can make a case that Johnson might see more regression before he turns it around.

Not all is lost though, third baseman Manny Machado is still raking. He had another good week, hitting .304/.304/.565 including four doubles and one triple in 23 plate appearances.

• Analysis:

Weeks like this happen to every team. It just goes to show how precious the back of the bullpen can be, they can either lose it or keep teams in games and this week they just couldn’t keep it together. Perhaps the most alarming story out of O’s camp is that this five-game losing streak all came at Camden Yards where they now hold a losing record (9-11) They’re even being outscored, 102-96, at home. All that said, the O’s are still a young team, and young clubs are prone to bouts of inconsistency. We could just as likely see them go on a 6-0 tear next week as we are another 0-fer.

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Tampa Bay Rays (23-20 overall, 4-2 last week)

The Rays are still a full four games out of first, but they have gained three games on the division leaders since May 1st. This past week they took four games against division foes, which included a sweep of the Orioles. The Red Sox ended the Rays six-game win streak earlier in the week, and ended up losing back-to-back games. Young upstart, Matt Moore is pitching out of his gourd in the early going this season and he pitched another good one this week. He gave up five hits and one run against the Orioles, while striking out only three against one walk in seven innings. Those numbers have pushed his totals to 8-0 with a 2.29 ERA (4.19 FIP).

On the hitting side, Matt Joyce had a good week batting .300/.364/.700 including two home runs, two doubles, and eight runs batted in 22 plate appearances.

• Analysis:

The old adage is, if the Rays are going anywhere, it’ll be because of their pitching. Ironically, the Rays bats are second in baseball in wRC+ (112) trailing only the Cleveland Indians. Meanwhile, their pitching is 22nd in FIP (4.19) and has generally disappointed in the early going. To make matters worse, their ace, David Price, is now on the disabled list with triceps issues. Luckily, the club is stocked with young fresh (and good) arms in the minors and have since called up Jake Odorizzi, whom they acquired from the Kansas City Royals in the James Shields trade.

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Toronto Blue Jays (17-26 overall, 2-2 last week)

Because of how the schedule worked out, and how Mother Nature intervened, the Blue Jays only played four games this week. First they invited the reigning World Champions, the San Francisco Giants, to the Rogers Centre for a two-game series, winning both with their bats. The Jays pulverized Giant pitching to the tune of 21 runs, while only giving up nine. It seems as though Jose Bautista has gotten his groove back, he’s hit .306/.422/.583 over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, his partner-in-crime Edwin Encarnacion has one-upped him hitting .343/.444/.657 over that same span.

However, for as much firepower they displayed against the Giants they looked punchless in the rain-shortened weekend series against the Yankees. They scored only two runs while giving up 12, and looked like much of what we’ve seen so far from the Jays this season. Consistency has evaded the team to the north this year.

• Analysis:

It seems for every step forward the club makes, they take a step back. The momentum the bats they gained in the series against the Giants were just as quickly washed away against the Yankees, which is why they are in last place in the East and a full 10 games out. It’s difficult to win when your run differential is -45 and your pitching ranks 29th in both ERA (4.81) and FIP (4.69). The Jays are also in the middle of the pack in hitting, placing 18th in wRC+ (94), which is tied with the Yankees. If the Jays want to shoot for the division, or even one of the Wild Card spots, they need to play like they did earlier in the week, rather than the latter half.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs

New York Yankees (23-13 overall, 5-1 last week)

Wells continues to exceed expectations (Image: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)

The Yankees continue to fight through injuries on their way to the top spot in the AL East. They faced the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field earlier in the week and scored only six runs in the three-game set, while being shutout in one of them. The Yanks haven’t had much luck at Coors, but they scratched out two of three behind some great pitching from Hiroki Kuroda (tough-luck loser in the first game), David Phelps, and CC Sabathia/Adam Warren.

In the second series of the week, the Yankees swept the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Phil Hughes and Andy Pettitte got back on track after a few poor starts each, and Kuroda pitched another gem and was rewarded with a win. Meanwhile, Vernon Wells, who had previously been lost at the plate for the better half of two weeks, collected six hits (two home runs) in 21 plate appearances (.286 batting average).

• Analysis:

Coming into the season the Yankees needed to rely on their veteran-laden pitching staff to carry them until their power came back. With Curtis Granderson currently on a rehab assignment in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the club will be glad to have him back. The question becomes, which one of Ichiro Suzuki or Wells takes a seat? The pitching staff has done their job for the most part, and the scrap heap free agent pick ups have exceeded expectations in order to help navigate through the early season injury disaster.

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Baltimore Orioles (23-15 overall, 4-2 last week)

The O’s were second the AL East last week, and they haven’t moved this week. Their consistency is indicative of how the culture has changed in Baltimore under manager Buck Showalter. They took both series’ this week facing both the the Royals and Minnesota Twins. Against the former, they were outscored 12-11, but won two of three. Meanwhile, Tommy Hunter pitched very well out of the ‘pen for the O’s this week by collecting two wins and striking out four hitters in 3.2 innings of work.

The bats came to life in the Twins series as the O’s plated 20 runs en route to another series win. Third baseman, Manny Machado, continues to rake in his first full season by collecting nine hits in 16 at-bats (.563 batting average), which included two RBI and three runs scored. The kid has a solid .331/.370/.521 slash line this season. The bats exploded in the first game against the Twins when the O’s spotted them six runs before they clawed their way back into the game and eventually won it in extras, 8-6.

• Analysis:

While hitters carried the team in the second series of the week, it was the pitchers who kept the team in their first series. Speaking of pitchers, FanSided’s own Randy Buchman of Birds Watcher opined that the O’s have stockpiled a ton of pitchers lately under GM Dan Duquette, which has helped after injuries to some of their starters. Again, the O’s are following the same formula they did last year, pitching keeps them in the game, and the batters get timely hits. They are a pesky bunch of youngsters, and as long as Showalter and Duquette are running the show, the club will always contend.

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Boston Red Sox (22-16 overall, 2-5 last week)

It was a rough week for the Red Sox as they lost a four-game series to the Twins and a three-game series to division rivals Toronto Blue Jays. Perhaps the worst part was both series’ were at Fenway. Twice last week their pitching staff gave up more than 10 runs, which is the exact opposite of how Boston won their games earlier in the year. Overall, in their last ten games they’ve gone 2-8 and have lost their slim lead in the AL East.

After an excellent April in which Ryan Dempster held opponents to a paltry .187/.279/.364 slash line against him in 122 plate appearances, he has regressed toward the mean. Last month he allowed four homers, but in May, he’s already given up five, including three in yesterday’s game against the Blue Jays.

• Analysis

The Red Sox were hit with an injury bug this month. First, Andrew Bailey goes down with a bicep injury that’ll likely keep him out until sometime this week, maybe a little longer. Meanwhile, closer Joel Hanrahan is out for the season after it was found he needs his flexor tendon repaired, which he might opt to have Tommy John surgery if there’s damage to the UCL as well. Finally, outfielder Shane Victorino (.308/.370/.393, 108 wRC+) crashed awkwardly into the right field fence at Fenway and injured his ribs; his status going forward is unknown. Good teams find a way around injuries, and last year the Red Sox buckled when player after player went down. However, this is a different team under manager John Farrell, one where pitching is paramount to their success, not hitting. Losing two of your best bullpen arms in successive weeks is very tough to overcome.

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Longoria continues his hot hitting this season (Image: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Tampa Bay Rays (19-18 overall, 5-2 last week)

Don’t look now, but the Rays just might be making their yearly push to the top. After a disappointing April in which they went 12-14, they’ve started May with a 7-4 record. Saying that, they rattled off five wins against below-average teams in the Blue Jays and the San Diego Padres this week. Only one starter earned a win (Matt Moore), as many of their wins came from runs scoring in the 7th inning or later. Against the Padres on Saturday they were down 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth before Evan Longoria launched a two-run home run into the left center field seats at the Trop. All in all last week, they scored 44 runs and surrendered 34 in seven games, which is a shade below giving up five runs per contest.

• Analysis

This is how the Rays got to the playoffs in years past, timely hitting in the later innings coupled with great starting pitching. They have a tough road for the rest of the month as they face all AL East competition. They’ll play the Red Sox and Yankees at home, while the series against the Orioles and Blue Jays will be on the road. Longoria continues his dominance at the plate, hitting .333/.403/.610 with nine home runs and 26 RBI. However, outside James Loney‘s .376/.429/.560 slash line, the Rays offense ranks in the middle of the pack in the AL.

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Toronto Blue Jays (15-24 overall, 4-3 last week)

It’s been a rough year for the Jays, but they recorded a winning record against AL East opponents this week against the Rays and Red Sox. Ricky Romero made his second start of the season and he continues his descent by giving up three runs on four hits while recording only one out in his start against the Rays. Not much else to say other than this team has the pieces to make some noise, but they just haven’t put it all together yet, but this week was a positive step in the right direction.

• Analysis

While they still remain 9.5 games back in the division, their bats are beginning to make some headway, especially Jose Bautista‘s. He lifted his average nearly 20 points (from .228 to .246) after going on a tear this week (.318/.407/.727) including two home runs and three doubles. Likewise, Edwin Encarnacion had a good week, hitting .286/.407/.571 with two home runs and six RBI. On the hitting side, these two need to come to life a bit more if the Jays want to make a run at the playoffs. This lineup has the potential to put up some gaudy numbers, it’s the pitching that needs to limit the runs a tad more.

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Food for Thought

• With Grandersoncoming back for the Yankees, who takes seat in the outfield: Wells, Brett Gardner, or Ichiro?
• Are the O’s the same team as the Rays were circa 2008-2011?
• Bad pitching hurt the Red Sox last season, with the new injuries to the back end of the pitching staff, is the club doomed again?
• If a long-term injury to Longoria were to occur, would the Rays season be done for?
• Outside Bautista, who is one player that really needs to get it going for the Jays?

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and Fangraphs. Injury notes courtesy of Baseball Prospectus

Brian Roberts has been a fixture at second base in Baltimore since 2001, but surgery will keep him out of the lineup for at least another six weeks. (Image Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Brian Roberts was once considered among the top second baseman in all of baseball, but injuries have not only kept him off the field since the start of the 2010 season but have also tarnished what was once a promising legacy. The news continued to get worse for Roberts and the faithful Baltimore Orioles fans that want their player back, as he’ll need to undergo surgery on the strained hamstring that has kept him out of the lineup since April 5th. The procedure will add at least six weeks to his expected return date.

Roberts was unsatisfied with how his recovery had been progressing, according to ESPN.com, and sought out the second opinion of Dr. Daniel Cooper in Dallas. That is when the decision to undergo surgery was made.

Baltimore has seen their franchise cornerstone appear in just 118 games since the start of the 2010 season, including just three this year, due to a series of injuries. In 525 PA over that span (roughly one full season’s worth) he’s hit just .248/.311/.344 – a far cry from the .280/.351/.413 career line that we’d come to expect from the now 35 year old. Roberts will be a free agent at the end of the season and it remains to be seen what type of interest he’ll attract on the open market given his injury history. If he is able to return later this season, demonstrating that he’s finally healthy will be one significant challenge.

While Dylan Bundy visits with Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion on his ailing elbow, the Orioles organization remains hopeful that the top pitching prospect in baseball will not be forced to miss any significant time. (Image Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)

Baltimore Orioles right-hander Dylan Bundy is without question one of the top prospects in all of baseball and arguably the best pitching prospect in the game. The 20 year old has yet to throw a pitch this season thanks to what has been described as “flexor mass tightness” in his right elbow. The team shut him down in mid-March, hoping that rest would be enough to prevent any serious concerns but it would seem that may not be the case, according to MLB’s official Twitter account.

#Orioles prospect Dylan Bundy will see Dr. James Andrews Tuesday for second opinion after discomfort while throwing off flat ground.

— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2013

Bundy threw off of flat ground on Monday, once again experiencing discomfort in his right elbow. Following the shortened session he asked the team to see famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews for a second opinion, according to MLB.com’s Brittany Ghiroli. It remains to be seen what kind of shape Bundy’s arm may be in, but the team remains optimistic based on some quotes from manager Buck Showalter, passed along by Ghiroli:

He still feels discomfort there. He took his MRI and everything with him, I’m sure. I don’t know if Dr. Andrews will take another one or not. But we’re very supportive of it. He wanted to get a second opinion just to be sure, because he hoped it would be resolved quicker than this.

Taken with the 4th overall pick in the 2011 Draft, Bundy’s ascension through the Baltimore system has been rapid. He pitched at three levels (Class-A, High-A, and Double-A) last season, throwing a total of 103.2 IP over 23 starts. He’d post a 9-3 record, 2.08 ERA, and 0.916 WHIP to go along with 2.4 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9. He impressed at every level, finally earning a surprise promotion to the Major Leagues in September. Bundy would appear in just two games for the Orioles before the season concluded, facing six batters across 1.2 IP – allowing just a hit and a walk.

Should Dr. Andrews find more substantial damage to Bundy’s arm, the consequences could have been more severe than some realized initially. Initial MRI results failed to reveal any structural damage in Bundy’s elbow, suggesting that the discomfort merely stems from a muscular problem. However, should more damage be discovered it could be very likely that Bundy will be forced to undergo Tommy John Surgery, which would end his season before it begins. Grantland’s Rany Jazayerli questioned this afternoon whether Bundy would continue to accumulate service time if he winds up on the DL for the remainder of the season, considering he finished the 2012 campaign in the Major Leagues. Given the intrinsic details to MLB’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, for Bundy to accumulate a full year’s worth of service time while on the shelf would be highly detrimental to Baltimore’s future as he’d reach free agency a year earlier than expected. However, as some astute followers quickly pointed out, Bundy had been officially optioned to Double-A on March 17th when he was cut from the team’s Spring Training camp. The injury concerns began just days later. If Bundy is to miss significant time this season, he’ll do so on the Minor League DL as opposed to the Major League one, removing the service time concern.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Borbon will most likely go without being traded and will instead be scooped up after he clears waivers. That’s unless the Rangers lower their asking price for a team like the Orioles or Twins, or if a team really likes Borbon or really wants to add another outfielder into the mix. Most teams interested would much rather wait until ten days after the DFA period, because nobody wants to make a trade unless they have to. With a lukewarm market, the Rangers might not be able to find a trade partner for Borbon unless somebody, again, really wants him. I doubt that happens, and the Rangers are trying to get what they can within this window. If they want something, they’re going to have to cut down and settle for a low-level prospect.

The best asset that the left-handed hitter provides is his speed, but his swiftness on the bases is outweighed by his inability to get on base at a high rate. He offers no pop, but he can be a quality depth outfielder for a team. Depth outfielders usually don’t generate much trade interest, so we’ll see what the Rangers can get out of him.