Orioles pitcher Kevin Gausman said that the discomfort in his shoulder, which sent him to the 15-day disabled list Friday, is nothing new and something that he usually feels toward the end of spring training but that has lingered into the regular season this year, the Baltimore Sun reports.
"I [usually] kind of pitch through it, and it goes away," Gausman said Friday. "This year, it kind of stayed with me all the way through camp and at the start of the season. I might have maybe thrown one too many sides and then pitched in a game, aggravated it a little bit more than what I normally would have been doing. It’s just kind of one of those things where they tried to stay on the side of caution and get rid of it, like I said, before it gets too serious."
Gausman indicated that he's dealt with pain over the last week.
"It feels fine when I throw, but just the way I’m recovering [is] a little bit of a concern," Gausman said. "I think we kind of tried to stay on the side of caution and try to get it out before it becomes something too serious. I could have pitched through it. They made a decision. I think it’s a good decision, especially at this point in the season. There’s really no reason to kind of push it and possibly make it a lot more serious than what it is."
Manager Buck Showalter revealed that Gausman, who has pitched out of the team's bullpen this season, could join the rotation at Triple-A Norfolk before being activated from the disabled list. The pitcher said he's confident he'll be ready to return on May 22 when first eligible.