BALTIMORE (AP) -Orioles right-hander Koji Uehara will probably miss his scheduled start Thursday and could be placed on the 15-day disabled list if his strained left hamstring does not respond to treatment.
Uehara, the first Japanese-born player in Orioles history, left Saturday’s game against Washington with hamstring tightness. He played catch and jogged in the outfield Tuesday but was unable to throw on the side and will be put on the DL if it appears he will miss two straight starts.
“I would say right now it is highly doubtful that Koji pitches on Thursday. Now whether or not he goes on the DL, I’m not sure,” manager Dave Trembley said. “But I don’t know what’s going to happen overnight that we’ll be able to say he’s going to pitch in five more days.”
If Uehara misses one start, Trembley can fill Thursday’s vacancy with a reliever. If he goes on the DL, the Orioles will probably dip into their minor league system to find a replacement in the rotation.
.09 ERA to go with his 2-3 record. And, because Baltimore has already lost Alfredo Simon, Mark Eaton and Mark Hendrickson from its opening-day rotation, doing without Uehara for an extended period would hurt.
“I am concerned because the guy has been a valuable pitcher. He’s given us quality starts and you hate to lose that guy every five days or six days,” Trembley said.
Uehara has been battling hamstring problems since he pitched in Japan. He also missed time during spring training this year with a hamstring strain.
“It’s been like that for 10 years,” he said through a translator. “I have to be cautious with it.”
Asked if he expected to miss Thursday’s start, Uehara replied, “I didn’t throw today, so probably that would be the case. That’s not something that I decide, obviously. It’s up to skipper.”
Said Trembley: “I told him I’m certainly not going to put him out there when he’s not 100 percent. I don’t think that’s what you do to him or anybody.”
In other news, outfielder Lou Montanez underwent successful surgery to repair a ligament in his thumb and will be sidelined for three months, Trembley said.
Montanez was placed on the DL, and the Orioles selected the contract of right-hander Jason Berken, who started against Toronto on Tuesday night.
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“He’s going to be out for a while. We don’t expect that he’d be able to play at the earliest until mid-September,” Trembley said. “I think what he’ll probably end up doing is going home for a while. Then he can do some rehab in Florida and eventually get to (Baltimore’s minor league complex in) Sarasota.”
Also, designated hitter Luke Scott (shoulder strain) could be activated from the DL as soon as Wednesday, Trembley said.
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