Hamstring Strain

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, who is on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, is walking without a limp but has yet to resume baseball activities. Roberts needed to be carried off the field after a stolen base April 4 at Tampa Bay, and he went on the DL the next day. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it would be a reach to think Roberts will be ready to return when he's first eligible to be activated on April 20. “It's going to be a challenge for him,” Showalter said.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts, who is on the disabled list with a right hamstring strain, is walking without a limp but has yet to resume baseball activities. Roberts needed to be carried off the field after a stolen base April 4 at Tampa Bay, and he went on the DL the next day. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it would be a reach to think Roberts will be ready to return when he's first eligible to be activated on April 20. “It's going to be a challenge for him,” Showalter said.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Baltimore Orioles prospect David Segui might have to wait a few days to make his Grapefruit League outfield debut. He suffered a hamstring strain during workouts yesterday and will reduce his workout schedule until the inflammation subsides."

Orioles outfielder Endy Chavez, his strained right hamstring still sore after pulling up lame rounding first base last night, is out of the lineup for tonight's game against the Pirates and is currently day-to-day. Chavez said he didn't believe he would have been able to play tonight but said he didn't think the injury would force him onto the disabled list for the second time this season. He spent 19 days on the DL month with an oblique strain. "I feel better today," Chavez said. "It's still sore.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Orioles have said all spring that their roster logjam at first base and in left field would work itself out, but the last thing they wanted was an injury to make it happen. Jay Payton, whom manager Sam Perlozzo had anointed as the starter in left field, left the Orioles' exhibition game yesterday in the first inning, clutching his left hamstring. He later was diagnosed with a Grade I hamstring strain, an injury that not only puts him in jeopardy of not playing on Opening Day, but also could force him to miss the first week or two of the season.

The team's rash of injuries has now spread to special teams. Punter Dave Zastudil strained the hamstring in his kicking leg yesterday and will miss tomorrow's preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills. A fourth-round draft pick in 2002, Zastudil is listed as day-to-day, but he may be sidelined as long as two to three weeks, a timetable that should allow him to be ready for the season opener in Pittsburgh on Sept. 7. Derrick Frost, an undrafted rookie out of Northern Iowa, will kick in his place.

Return specialist B.J. Sams said he will play in tomorrow night's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing last week with a hamstring strain. With the injury fully healed, Sams' outlook appears to be in good condition, as well. He was arrested and charged with drunken driving early Monday morning. "People make mistakes," said Sams, addressing the incident for the first time. "I'm just going to go out and play my game." Sams was going 89 mph in a 55 mph zone on a stretch of Interstate 83. However, he does not think this will hurt his chance of being on the team or ruin an otherwise solid reputation.

Koji Uehara had a history of leg problems, so Japanese reporters were not surprised he was getting treatment yesterday for a hamstring strain. He says he'll have plenty of time to build his stamina for the regular season. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

Blast defender Iain Fraser will be in the lineup today for the team's final intrasquad scrimmage before Saturday's season opener against Dallas. Fraser, who has been sidelined with an abdominal strain, returned to practice for the first time in two weeks yesterday and wound up his day afield with a beautiful shot to the far post for a goal.While Fraser worked out, defender Doug Neely (leg inflammation) and midfielder Mark Mettrick (hamstring strain) sat. Both are expected to be ready for Saturday, even if they can't take part in today's scrimmage.

Catcher Mike Heath, who had one season remaining on a guaranteed $2 million, two-year contract, was placed on unconditional release waivers yesterday by the Atlanta Braves.Heath, who played in only 49 games last season before surgery on his right elbow, hit .209 in 1991 with one homer and 12 RBI. He will get $1 million from the Braves: his $900,000 salary for 1992 and $100,000 as a buyout of Atlanta's $1.1 million option for 1993."Thirteen years; my first release. I can't be too unhappy about that," said Heath, who had only two at-bats this spring.

Concerned that a mild injury could linger and leave them without an extra reliever, the Orioles placed right-hander Alfredo Simon on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday afternoon and recalled Jason Berken . Simon said he strained his right hamstring while running before Tuesday's game. He had a similar situation last season when he injured his left hamstring and ended up on the DL. "I was doing my work, working out and doing my sprints, and I felt a little pop in there," said Simon, who is 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in five relief appearances this season.

The Orioles will start the second half of the season Friday without one of their prized young players. Switch-hitting catcher Matt Wieters was placed on the 15-day disabled list Thursday, a move that will keep him out of the lineup until July 25 at the earliest. Wieters suffered a strained right hamstring running the bases last Friday in the Orioles' 7-6 victory over the Texas Rangers. He had missed the previous night's game with tightness in his hamstring, but he aggravated the injury when he rounded second base in the fifth inning and fell awkwardly.

Orioles closer Alfredo Simon said the strained left hamstring that forced him out of the 10th inning of Sunday's game with the Washington Nationals shouldn't sideline him for an extended period. But even if he is gone for several days, it would be a big blow for an already depleted and beleaguered bullpen. "I just feel like a little pop," said Simon, who hurt his leg while running to cover first base on a grounder to Luke Scott. "I think it'll be good in a couple of days, maybe just a week."

The Orioles started Wednesday night's game with only a two-man bench, but with the way center fielder Adam Jones has been swinging the bat, that appeared to be only a minor inconvenience. However, Jones, one player the Orioles simply can't afford to lose, joined the sick and the wounded when a mild right hamstring strain forced him out of the lineup in the fourth inning, and prompted the club to call up top outfield prospect Nolan Reimold for Thursday night's game. Without Jones, the Orioles' offense accomplished very little until a ninth-inning rally came up two runs short.

Ryan Freel's seemingly ill-fated Orioles career took another hit when he unhappily returned to Baltimore from the Eastern Shore after club doctors refused to clear him for a rehabilitation assignment at Single-A Delmarva. Freel, who was hit in the head with a pickoff attempt against the Boston Red Sox on April 20 and was placed on the 15-day disabled list against his wishes with a nonconcussed head injury, was supposed to play at least three games with the Shorebirds. But when he arrived, he was directed to take an impact test, a cognitive memory and concentration exam often given in post-concussion cases.

Koji Uehara had a history of leg problems, so Japanese reporters were not surprised he was getting treatment yesterday for a hamstring strain. He says he'll have plenty of time to build his stamina for the regular season. ( For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

MILWAUKEE -- The Orioles will have a couple of decisions to make soon after they return from their 10-game road trip. Right fielder Sherman Obando will be close to completing an injury-rehabilitation assignment with the Double-A Bowie Baysox and left-hander Arthur Rhodes should be close to embarking on one.Obando, who has been sidelined with a hamstring strain, must be recalled or returned to the disabled list next week. If he comes back, he'll likely push rookie center fielder Damon Buford off the 25-man major-league roster.

The Orioles started Wednesday night's game with only a two-man bench, but with the way center fielder Adam Jones has been swinging the bat, that appeared to be only a minor inconvenience. However, Jones, one player the Orioles simply can't afford to lose, joined the sick and the wounded when a mild right hamstring strain forced him out of the lineup in the fourth inning, and prompted the club to call up top outfield prospect Nolan Reimold for Thursday night's game. Without Jones, the Orioles' offense accomplished very little until a ninth-inning rally came up two runs short.

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Orioles have said all spring that their roster logjam at first base and in left field would work itself out, but the last thing they wanted was an injury to make it happen. Jay Payton, whom manager Sam Perlozzo had anointed as the starter in left field, left the Orioles' exhibition game yesterday in the first inning, clutching his left hamstring. He later was diagnosed with a Grade I hamstring strain, an injury that not only puts him in jeopardy of not playing on Opening Day, but also could force him to miss the first week or two of the season.

Return specialist B.J. Sams said he will play in tomorrow night's preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles after missing last week with a hamstring strain. With the injury fully healed, Sams' outlook appears to be in good condition, as well. He was arrested and charged with drunken driving early Monday morning. "People make mistakes," said Sams, addressing the incident for the first time. "I'm just going to go out and play my game." Sams was going 89 mph in a 55 mph zone on a stretch of Interstate 83. However, he does not think this will hurt his chance of being on the team or ruin an otherwise solid reputation.