BALTIMORE -- The Orioles placed Vance Worley on the disabled list prior to Tuesday's game against the Red Sox with a groin strain, recalling Odrisamer Despaigne from Triple-A to take his roster spot and fill the void in the bullpen.
"The tough thing is they don't think he'll be available this series or the next, but if we had that 10-day DL in the Minor Leagues, seven, we'd probably put him on that, but we don't," manager Buck Showalter said of Worley. "I think Vance will be ready before the 15 days. The problem is he's never had a leg issue before, so we just don't have any history to go on. He couldn't pitch today and we wouldn't want to lose the backdate day. There were a lot of different ways we could have done it, but he's having a good year and he's a big part of our bullpen."
Worley, 28, went 2-0 with a 2.66 ERA in 17 games (two starts) with the Orioles this season, including a 1.80 ERA over 15 outings as a reliever. He said he first felt the injury during his last outing, on Sunday, in Toronto.
"I mean, it's going to happen. This game's not easy. There's guys that are going to get hurt, and you know, it just depends on how well my body likes me and wants me to come back," said Worley, who was optimistic he'd be ready when the 15-day timeframe expires. "So, we'll see what happens, and hopefully it's faster rather than slow."
The 29-year-old Despaigne pitched to a 3.59 ERA with 53 strikeouts over 12 starts with the Tides this season. In six starts since May 20, he posted a 2.20 ERA and held opponents to a .258/.312/.305 batting line. For now, the right-hander will be used in the bullpen.
"He's going to be in the bullpen tonight," Showalter said. "He's had four or five days off. We need that length with Worley gone. We are always going to have to cover ourselves. Talking to [Triple-A manager Ron Jonnson] RJ and everybody down there, [director of player development] Brian Graham, he's the best we have for our need down there. He's been throwing the ball real well."