Brian Roberts

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts knew the significance of Wednesday's date. It marked the one-year anniversary of Roberts' last game, when his headfirst slide at Fenway Park triggered a second wave of concussion symptoms May 16, 2011. Roberts said Wednesday that he has thought about the date - and about being out of the game for a full year - but that it helps that he feels closer than ever to a return. Roberts, who averaged 152 games a year from 2004 through 2009, has played in just 98 games since the beginning of the 2010 season.

Amid all the buzz about Adam Jones' possible contract extension today, there's still a game tonight at Camden Yards. The Orioles are hosting the Royals for the first game of this weekend's three-game series. There's still very little that's official regarding Jones, but expect something to happen soon. Anyway, here's what's going on. -- Infielder Mark Reynolds (oblique strain) and outfielder Endy Chavez (intercostal strain) played in an extended spring training game today and will report to Double-A Bowie to begin minor league rehab assignments tomorrow.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts made his first competitive appearance on a baseball field in more than a year at Prince George's Stadium on Wednesday night and enjoyed every relatively uneventful minute of it. "It was exciting…fun," he said. "You realize how much you enjoy playing the game of baseball and how fortunate you are to be able to play it this long and hopefully continue to do it. " Roberts has been recovering from the effects of multiple concussions since suffering his second in eight months in a game at Fenway Park last May. He has embarked on a 20-day injury rehabilitation assignment that he hopes will get him ready to return to the major league lineup in mid-June, but has a few more steps to take before that can happen.

After more than a year of being out of big league baseball while attempting to rise above concussion symptoms, second baseman Brian Roberts is back in the game. He started his rehab assignment Wednesday in Double-A Bowie. The clock now starts ticking. He has 20 days to be activated by the big league club, though the team can halt the clock if he suffers a relapse or another injury. Otherwise, they would have to waive him, and the Orioles won't do that with their most veteran player and $10 million man. So the next three weeks are going to be interesting.

Just over a year ago, on Sept. 27, 2010, the Orioles were leading the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-0, in the ninth inning of a largely meaningless road game when second baseman Brian Roberts came to the plate. He felt prepared for the at-bat, and believed reliever Joaquin Benoit would throw him a changeup. With the count 2-2, the right-hander did. Roberts still swung and missed. "Sometimes the pitcher could tell you what's coming and you still wouldn't execute your plan right," he says, clearly still miffed.

Orioles beat writer Eduardo A. Encina sat down with Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts before Wednesday's game against the Royals to talk about his recovery from multiple concussions and the one-year anniversary of his last game. His head-first slide into first base on May 16, 2011 triggered a second onset of concussion symptoms.  The details are in today's Orioles notebook , but here's a more complete transcript of the Q&A with Roberts, where he reflects on being away from baseball for a year, how close he feels to getting back in a game and what he's learned about himself since his last game.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts knew the significance of Wednesday's date. It marked the one-year anniversary of Roberts' last game, when his headfirst slide at Fenway Park triggered a second wave of concussion symptoms May 16, 2011. Roberts said Wednesday that he's thought about the date -- and about being out of the game for a full year -- but that it helps that he feels closer than ever to a return. “I thought about it a lot today, actually,” Roberts said before the Orioles' series opener in Kansas City.

It would help readers of The Baltimore Sun to have The Sun investigate more deeply the problems of Brian Roberts ("Roberts likely to miss FanFest," Jan 12). We all know there is something wrong here, but no one wants to talk about it. What are we hiding? What are we covering up? To continue to pass this problem off as a result of a concussion seems odd to some of us - I say this gingerly because I am a big fan of Brian - but I think that he may be hurting. To read in today's paper that he will not be able to attend FanFest because "doctors had advised him that the event could cause further stress" and have this followed by the comments of General Manager Dan Duquette just shows the confusion in discussing the Brian Roberts issue.

Let me begin by saying I am not in the land of sunshine and swaying palm trees, watching the Orioles work out in Sarasota, Fla. No, I'm here in sunny Baltimore, where I curse on the days I scrape ice off the car windshield and where I get most of my Orioles news from the outstanding reporting of The Sun's Eduardo A. Encina and my buddy Peter Schmuck. Still, like everyone who follows the O's, I am riveted by the Brian Roberts saga. Will he be able to play this season after suffering those horrible concussion symptoms?

Brian Roberts will begin his rehab assignment Wednesday night at Double-A Bowie against Richmond. The Orioles made the announcement a few minutes ago. Roberts (concussion symptoms) has not played since May 16, 2011, against the Boston Red Sox. He likely will play only a few innings Wednesday. He is expected to speak with reporters at 7 p.m. tonight.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts made his first competitive appearance on a baseball field in more than a year at Prince George's Stadium on Wednesday night and enjoyed every relatively uneventful minute of it. "It was exciting…fun," he said. "You realize how much you enjoy playing the game of baseball and how fortunate you are to be able to play it this long and hopefully continue to do it. " Roberts has been recovering from the effects of multiple concussions since suffering his second in eight months in a game at Fenway Park last May. He has embarked on a 20-day injury rehabilitation assignment that he hopes will get him ready to return to the major league lineup in mid-June, but has a few more steps to take before that can happen.

Second baseman Brian Roberts will play in his first baseball game today since sliding headfirst into the first-base bag at Fenway Park on May 16, 2011 - more than a year ago. Yes, it's only a minor league game at Double-A Bowie. And yes, he'll only play the field for a few innings and get a couple at-bats tonight and Thursday and will be exclusively the DH on Friday. Who knows what will happen, whether he can overcome his concussion symptoms and return to the Orioles after his 20-day rehab assignment is over?

Brian Roberts will begin his rehab assignment Wednesday night at Double-A Bowie against Richmond. The Orioles made the announcement a few minutes ago. Roberts (concussion symptoms) has not played since May 16, 2011, against the Boston Red Sox. He likely will play only a few innings Wednesday. He is expected to speak with reporters at 7 p.m. tonight.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts will begin an injury rehabilitation assignment Wednesday night at Double-A Bowie, which means that he has up to 20 days to work his way back into the major league lineup. That's happy news - considering that he has spent a grueling and frustrating year recovering from the compound effects of a pair of concussions - but the announcement just before game time Tuesday night only amplified all the questions that remain about his future and the impact of his potential return on the first-place Orioles.

Last week, Orioles manager Buck Showalter and executive vice president Dan Duquette were knee deep in personnel decisions, trying to figure out how to fortify a battered 25-man roster. Eventually, perhaps fairly soon, Showalter and Duquette will have to deal with the flip side - trying to jam everybody back on the big-league roster. "Through the years, these things kind of work themselves out. It's a good problem, but I don't consider it a problem," Showalter said.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts knew the significance of Wednesday's date. It marked the one-year anniversary of Roberts' last game, when his headfirst slide at Fenway Park triggered a second wave of concussion symptoms May 16, 2011. Roberts said Wednesday that he has thought about the date - and about being out of the game for a full year - but that it helps that he feels closer than ever to a return. Roberts, who averaged 152 games a year from 2004 through 2009, has played in just 98 games since the beginning of the 2010 season.

Second baseman Brian Roberts will play in his first baseball game today since sliding headfirst into the first-base bag at Fenway Park on May 16, 2011 - more than a year ago. Yes, it's only a minor league game at Double-A Bowie. And yes, he'll only play the field for a few innings and get a couple at-bats tonight and Thursday and will be exclusively the DH on Friday. Who knows what will happen, whether he can overcome his concussion symptoms and return to the Orioles after his 20-day rehab assignment is over?

Those searching for clarity - and answers - from Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts' presence at the club's first full-squad workout Friday were given few. Sidelined since May when a slide into first base triggered a second set of concussion symptoms, Roberts' baseball future remains uncertain . On Friday morning, Roberts took part in pre-workout activities with his teammates at the Ed Smith Stadium Complex, an act that was undecided until...

Orioles beat writer Eduardo A. Encina sat down with Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts before Wednesday's game against the Royals to talk about his recovery from multiple concussions and the one-year anniversary of his last game. His head-first slide into first base on May 16, 2011 triggered a second onset of concussion symptoms.  The details are in today's Orioles notebook , but here's a more complete transcript of the Q&A with Roberts, where he reflects on being away from baseball for a year, how close he feels to getting back in a game and what he's learned about himself since his last game.

The Orioles are here at Kauffman Stadium to open this quick two-game series against the Royals, but as of the beginning of batting practice today, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was not. As of 5:40 local time, when the Orioles were taking batting practice, Showalter was not here. He's handling an undisclosed personal matter, a team spokesman said.  Showalter did arrive in Kansas City with the team and bench coach John Russell, who said he was in touch with Showalter about today's lineup, said Showalter is expected to arrive by first pitch.