Recovery progressing smoothly for Webb, Harvey
BALTIMORE -- In a little more than a month, the Orioles will report to Sarasota, Fla., to officially begin Spring Training, but the club got a head start of sorts with a three-day minicamp earlier this week.
The big news was third baseman Manny Machado targeting to be full-go when camp opens for position players. But the O's also got good news on reliever Ryan Webb and No. 2 prospect Hunter Harvey.
Webb had surgery to tighten the shoulder capsule in his non-throwing shoulder, and the Orioles wanted to see how his rehab was coming along, adding the 28-year-old pitcher as a late addition to the minicamp.
"I anticipate not being limited for Spring Training," Webb said. "I'm still kind of in the rehab process, but it's going really well, and the range of motion is really starting to come back significantly every single day. There hasn't been any speed bumps or anything like that, and I should be 100 percent ready to go this spring."
Webb, who lived in Baltimore this offseason, plans on going back to Florida fairly soon to continue his recovery.
"I'm still right where I'd be any other year, throwing-wise," Webb said. "I started Jan. 1, like I would normally do. My range of motion has actually improved significantly the last couple of weeks, so by Spring Training, I should be able to have full range of motion and will be catching balls over my head and stuff like that."
Video: Right-hander Harvey projects as power pitcher
Harvey, who was shut down for the season in July with a flexor mass strain, was cleared to throw a few weeks ago after an MRI in mid-December came back clean. The O's first-round Draft pick in 2013, the 20-year-old Harvey went 7-5 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 starts last season for low Class A Delmarva.
"It was soreness," Harvey said of his season-ending elbow injury. "It got a little tight, and they wanted to take precautions."
Harvey joined fellow top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy, who is done with the rehab portion of his Tommy John surgery, as some of the more inexperienced pitchers being watched by manager Buck Showalter, pitching coach Dave Wallace and bullpen coach Dom Chiti.
"This is huge," Harvey said of getting invited to minicamp. "It's a good opportunity to come down here and see everybody. Being around all these guys is pretty special."