SARASOTA, Fla. _ Even after an encouraging set of MRI results that found Orioles first baseman Chris Davis' sore elbow to have "no issues" structurally, manager Buck Showalter said the team is still going to be plenty cautious with its franchise first baseman this month.
"A little improvement today," Showalter said. "Anytime you start dealing in that area, you're concerned, but we were good to get the structural feel behind us. I think you'll see him. Hopefully, he manages well and he gets back in the flow sometime next week.
"We trust him. I can tell by the way he feels now that he wants to make sure it doesn't go backwards again. We're going to be cautious with it. But I don't think we're going to have to hold Chris back."
Showalter reiterated Sunday a three-to-five-day shutdown for Davis, and said missing that long won't necessarily hamper his preparation for the season. Davis might not return until he's comfortably able to play first base defensively as well as swing.
The soreness originated late last month when Davis felt as if he might have slept on his arm wrong, and was limited to designated hitter duty as a result. But the team scheduled an MRI on Saturday after the discomfort didn't improve, and Showalter said Saturday that Davis had some soreness in the flexor mass area of the elbow, which is often cited before more serious arm injuries.
"I don't think this was from swinging," Showalter said. "This was just some irritation he had there from throwing and it kind of got away from him. It's good to get it out of the way early, the way I look at it."
In the interim, the club will get more repetitions for Mark Trumbo and Pedro Alvarez at first base, with new camp invitee Danny Valencia also mixing in there.
