The Orioles currently have a claim on one of the two Wild Card spots in the American League. And their active 25-man roster is about to get a nice boost.
According to beat writer Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun, right-handed starter Jason Hammel threw five scoreless innings Saturday in his rehab debut with High-A Fredrick. He struck out seven batters, issued just one walk, and reported no abnormal pain or discomfort during or after the outing.
Hammel seems likely to rejoin the Baltimore rotation next week.
The 29-year-old had a 3.54 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP and a 106/39 K/BB ratio in 109 1/3 innings before hitting the disabled list in mid-July with a right knee injury that eventually required surgery.
