Orioles face tough decision with Jones

BALTIMORE -- Orioles center fielder Adam Jones missed his fifth consecutive game Friday because of right shoulder tightness and could be facing a stint on the disabled list if he didn't feel better following a workout at Camden Yards, manager Buck Showalter said.

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Jones threw for the first time in a week prior to the Orioles' game against the Indians. After that session, Showalter was cautiously optimistic about the progress of the four-time Gold Glove winner.

However, Showalter admitted that a trip to the DL might be the best course of action if Jones was still sore on Saturday.

"He felt good," Showalter said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow. If he doesn't have the soreness that he experienced last time, then he'll be ready to go very shortly."

Jones felt further tightness in the shoulder prior to the June 19 game against the Blue Jays and was moved from center field to designated hitter. Since then, he has continued to feel discomfort and Baltimore's trainers have monitored him closely. Jones has been the Orioles' most consistent hitter this season. He is batting .298 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 63 games.

As a result, the Orioles plan to be patient with the injury.

"He is different," Showalter said. "You do buy some time with him. You don't want to DL him and two days from now he's ready to go."

Worth noting

• The Orioles optioned left-hander T.J. McFarland to Triple-A Norfolk to make room for lefty Wei-Yin Chen, who got the start Friday against the Indians. This means the Orioles will be going with a six-man bullpen for at least the first game of the series.

Chen was optioned to High-A Frederick following his outing June 15 against the Phillies to make room for outfielder/infielder Chris Parmelee, who had to be promoted by June 16 to avoid an opt-out clause. Baltimore also wanted to get Chen some extended rest, while allowing him to stay on schedule by pitching a shortened game for the Keys.

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However, Chen voiced his displeasure with the move via his Twitter account. Both the Orioles and Chen said they have since resolved any tension.