ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ Orioles outfielder Hyun Soo Kim said Saturday that his right hamstring has improved enough to the point he believes he could return to the starting lineup.
Kim strained his hamstring running to first base in his first at-bat Sunday. He has been testing it by running and has been receiving treatment. Kim, who started 31 of the Orioles' past 35 games going into the All-Star break, wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday, but might not have played regardless of the injury because the Orioles are facing Tampa Bay Rays left-handed Matt Moore.
"It feels much better than the time I got injured. It feels great," Kim said through interpreter Danny Lee. "If it were to be today, I want to play today, but it has to be agreed by the trainers. We're talking with the trainers to make sure when it's the best time for me to come back. I don't exactly have a timetable."
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said that the team would likely wait until Sunday to make a decision on whether Kim would have to go on the disabled list. The team could backdate any DL stint to Monday.
Kim, who was nicknamed the Iron Man in South Korea because he was rarely out of the starting lineup, said he believes he will avoid the DL.
"This has happened before and the former trainers I had in Korea were also surprised by the (quick) pace I recovered," Kim said. "So hopefully, this happens again."
Kim is hitting .329/.410./454 with three homers and 11 RBIs in 46 games this season.
"Not to talk about how well I did," Kim said. "But I just love baseball. I want to play baseball even at this moment too."
