Gonzalez hopes to follow rehab start with return

BALTIMORE -- Miguel Gonzalez said he felt good on Thursday, a day after he threw 70 pitches in a rehab game for Double-A Bowie, and he hoped his next outing would be with the Orioles.

"That's my goal," said Gonzalez, who is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday. "It depends on what moves we're going to make and what's going to happen. I can't worry about that. I'm going to be out here cheering for the guys. We're doing a good job now."

Gonzalez, who is working his way back from an oblique injury, could be a bullpen option on Sunday or a starter during next week's series against the Rays. Manager Buck Showalter didn't offer a lot of clarity about the plan with Gonzalez, as it is intertwined to some extent with what happens with the rest of the roster. Third baseman Manny Machado is appealing a five-game suspension and could drop that and serve it at any time.

"The options are to start him Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday," Showalter said. "Going to probably keep Wei-Yin [Chen] on his turn. The other one is to start him one more time [on rehab]. That's where we are. See how things develop over the next couple days, what things might show up that tilt it one way or the other. But it's good to know he's sound and physically ready to return to us here shortly."

One thing Showalter did rule out was a six-man rotation with Gonzalez, an idea the O's skipper floated recently.

"Talk about regrets, I have a few," Showalter said, "bringing that up."