Early Wednesday afternoon, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said seeing catcher Matt Wieters behind the plate in a major league spring training game would signify that the club was confident he’d be ready for Opening Day April 4.
After a close loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates game, Showalter announced a half-step in that direction: Wieters will serve as designated hitter to get at-bats in a major league game Thursday for the first time since he left the March 12 contest with soreness in his surgically-repaired right elbow.
“We’re trying to make sure those guys get the right number of at bats before we get out of here,” Showalter said.