Brian Roberts

SARASOTA, Fla. - There weren't many concrete answers given during Brian Roberts' news conference with the media Friday afternoon, but the words of the injured Orioles second baseman's words resonated well. I don't know Roberts well, especially since these are my first days on the beat, but he seemed genuine in discussing the steps in his recovery from multiple concussions. As had been made clear throughout the organization, this is a frustrating situation for everyone, including Roberts.

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.

Second baseman Brian Roberts will be in uniform when the Orioles take the field for their first full-squad workout Friday at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, but it remains to be seen how much he will be able to participate in the early drills. Manager Buck Showalter met with him on the field after Thursday's final pitcher-catcher workout and said the progress that Roberts has made in his recovery from two concussions has been “very encouraging.” “We'll see what tomorrow brings,” Showalter said.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Brian Roberts has been through a lot over the past three years, but things are definitely looking up. He's back in camp with a new lease on baseball life after three years of injuries and frustration, and he said Friday that he and his wife Diana are expecting their first child during the upcoming season. “It's awesome," Roberts said. “It's been a huge blessing. Most people know of my passion and affinity for kids. Being able to add that to our life ... to be able to have that is really great timing for us after all that has gone on. I think it has provided us with an extra boost.” Roberts missed time in 2010 with a back problem and a late-season concussion.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts told reporters Friday that he wants to play as many games as possible this spring so he can test himself physically after offseason hip and sports hernia surgery. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Roberts will have that chance. While most veteran players don't often make road trips during the Grapefruit League season, Roberts will. “We've gone over the whole spring. We've sat down multiple times,” Showalter said. “He will have a pair of [road]

As it turns out, the Orioles not only blew a six-run lead on Monday against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, they lost the right side of their infield for what could be an extended period. Veteran first baseman Derrek Lee , who strained his left oblique in that game, was put on the 15-day disabled list Thursday. Second baseman Brian Roberts , who started Monday's contest with a head-first slide into first base to beat out an infield single, was put on the seven-day concussion disabled list.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he spent 20 minutes on the phone with injured second baseman Brian Roberts on Wednesday discussing all the possible paths he could take with his lingering right hamstring injury. At the end of the conversation, the decision was made that surgery to repair a ruptured semitendinosis muscle in his right hamstring was the best option moving forward. The recovery time from the procedure is roughly six weeks. And given the fact that Roberts has played in just 118 games since 2010 and just 20 since the beginning of the 2012 season, there will be lots of people saying that this might be the end of Roberts' career in an Orioles uniform.

Brian Roberts, who played in just 115 games the previous three seasons because of various injuries, was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday, three games into 2013, with what the Orioles are calling a strained right hamstring. The second baseman is expected to miss three to four weeks - an encouraging development considering the 35-year-old Roberts had to be carried off the field in the ninth inning Thursday when he grabbed his leg after stealing second base at Tropicana Field.

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.

The Orioles received bad news regarding the health of second baseman Brian Roberts on Friday. The results of an MRA taken Thursday revealed that Roberts has a right hip labral tear. It is a tear in the cartilage that surrounds the outside of the hip bone.  The injury would likely require surgery, but Roberts will first get a second opinion from a hip specialist in Atlanta before deciding his next step. “I traded texts with [Roberts] back and forth, obviously a little depressed about the physical issue,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.