Brian Matusz took an important step this morning in his recovery from a strained left intercostal muscle by tossing two innings in an extended spring training appearance.
Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports that Matusz faced six batters and threw approximately 12-15 pitches per inning. He’s scheduled to throw three innings Wednesday in his next outing in extended spring training. He would presumably go out on a minor league rehab assignment from there.
Barring any setbacks, Kubatko writes that Matusz could be back with the Orioles on either May 21 for an interleague matchup against the Nationals or on May 26 against the Royals. Orioles manager Buck Showalter was the one who floated May 21 as a possibility, but that seems unlikely right now.
Matusz, 24, has a 4.37 ERA over his first 40 major league starts. He went 7-3 with a 3.63 ERA after the All-Star break last season and finished fifth in the balloting for the AL Rookie of the Year.
