BOSTON -- Following Chris Tillman's two innings of work at extended spring on Tuesday, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said it would be a 50-50 decision on whether the right-hander would continue to rehabilitate his right shoulder injury at Double-A Bowie, or remain in Sarasota, Fla.
Just 24 hours later, Showalter announced Tillman would indeed take the next step toward rejoining the O's by making his first rehab outing with Bowie on Monday.
"He's ready to go," Showalter said on Wednesday. "He's going to take his work day [in Sarasota] and his next outing will be in Bowie. ... That's good news."
Tillman, who missed all of Spring Training with soreness in his throwing shoulder, threw to hitters for the first time on Saturday during batting practice, and he followed that up with 30 pitches in two innings of work on Tuesday.
Showalter expressed the intention to have Tillman work for three innings vs. Richmond on Monday.
Tillman last pitched for Bowie in 2012.
Worth noting
Showalter also provided an update on the recovery progress of outfielder Joey Rickard, who injured his left middle finger on a steal attempt against the Yankees over the weekend.
"Joey feels good today. He's making steady improvement," Showalter said. "He's got a shot at that second day in Cincinnati [next Wednesday], we hope, if he continues down this path."
Rickard, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list on Sunday, said on Tuesday that the swelling had gone down considerably and that he too felt that his return should coincide with the duration of his DL stint.