SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Orioles have decided that they're going to wait on Chris Tillman. After an aborted bullpen session on Sunday, manager Buck Showalter said that it was doubtful that Tillman, whose sore shoulder has prevented him from pitching this spring, would be ready to start the season.
"I don't think we'll have any new information on him for a day or two, let it quiet down. They're contemplating a couple of options if that doesn't go well," Showalter said.
One option could be a cortisone injection. Tillman had a platelet rich plasma injection in late December.
"I think we'll get a direction in a couple of days," Showalter said. "Once you go down the injection [path] ... we might be able to gain a little ground on it, but I don't think anything that's going to put him as an option to start the season."
Tillman won't pitch his fourth straight Opening Day. Instead, the Orioles are likely to turn to Kevin Gausman, who started on Monday in the Orioles' 6-4 win over Philadelphia.
Gausman and Tillman are close, and the 28-year-old veteran's presence has helped Gausman.
"Obviously, we wish that he was going to be starting Opening Day and coming out of the gate healthy, but he's kind of done his part around here lately, so it will be good to give him a break essentially and hopefully he comes back and feels even better that he did before," Gausman said.
"If he's able to do what he's done the last couple of years … I don't know if he's had that issue before, but he's been able to do it in the past not feeling 100 percent and then to get him back healthy is one of the keys for us," Gausman said.
• Worth noting
The Orioles optioned right-handed pitcher Joe Gunkel to Triple-A Norfolk. They have 51 players in camp.