Baltimore Orioles shutting down Matt Wieters with elbow tendinitis

By Kyle Franzoni | Mar 18, 2015

Mar 11, 2015; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles designator hitter Matt Wieters (32) at bat against the Toronto Blue Jays at a spring training game at Ed Smith Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters has been shut down in his return from Tommy John surgery with elbow tendinitis.

If the Baltimore Orioles are going to repeat as American League East champs in 2015, they’ll have to find a way to keep their key players healthy this season. Unfortunately, that got off to a bad start when the team was forced to shut down starting catcher Matt Wieters for the next week with elbow tendinitis according to Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun.

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While a one-week layoff in spring training would not normally raise many eyebrows, Wieters is a bit of a special case. The catcher underwent Tommy John surgery on his elbow last June, so any discomfort in the aforementioned elbow area is cause for concern. Given that the tendinitis flared up after Wieters took his first turn behind the plate this spring, the Orioles decided to err on the side of caution and play it safe with their All-Star catcher.

However, Orioles manager Buck Showalter tried to play down the concern a bit, noting that the flare up is actually quite common during the Tommy John recovery period.

"“It’s around a nine-month period. It’s not a setback. I’m surprised we haven’t had any of this before. He’s not feeling anything acute or anything. Just after listening to him describe how he felt today, Richie on the safe said just call Dr. Andrews. With all the time we have left, we thought it would be prudent to just try to get ahead of it.”"

That said, Wieters could likely face a delay to the start of his season. With Opening Day just a few weeks away on April 6th, a one-week shut-down may make it impossible for Wieters to see enough game action before the team heads to Tampa Bay for their opener against the Rays.

A three-time All-Star behind the plate, Wieters underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery last June. The typical recovery time for Tommy John surgery is close to one year for pitchers, but Wieters appears to be ahead of schedule regardless of the setback. That’s good news for the Orioles, who are also expecting to have a fully healthy Manny Machado back in the line-up in 2015.

After losing Nelson Cruz to free agency, the Orioles are looking toward the return of those big bats to their line-up in order to even out the loss. If Wieters is unable to go, Caleb Joseph will likely get the starting nod at catcher, with minor league signees J.P. Arencibia and Ryan Lavarnway possibly staying with the club as a back-up.

Next: Baltimore Orioles 2015 MLB Preview

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