BALTIMORE -- Right-hander Alex Cobb is not expected to debut with the Orioles before April 14, manager Buck Showalter said Saturday afternoon.
Cobb, a late signing this spring, pitched a four-inning game (48 pitches) in Minor League camp Friday, and the plan is for him to progress to five innings before evaluating where he'll get to six. Cobb is assigned to Double-A Bowie, but because he's not on a rehab assignment, he'd have to pitch for the Baysox. There are some noticeable differences in Minor League balls, including higher seams, and a lot of pitchers who've had Tommy John surgery, including Cobb, are wary of the stress the baseballs place on the elbow.
Showalter said the organization has decided Cobb would need to get to six innings before joining the big league club.
In other rehab news, Zach Britton (Achilles surgery) will travel with the team to Houston and then New York to continue his rehab schedule.
Mark Trumbo (quad) is slated to travel to the Orioles' spring facility in Sarasota, Fla., and take batting practice on Monday. If that goes OK, he'll get into an extended spring training game on Friday.