The Orioles have placed lefty starting pitcher Rich Hill on the 15-day disabled list with a sore left elbow. The Orioles don’t believe that this injury is serious. Still, it appears that veteran lefty Mark Hendrickson will replace Hill in the starting rotation. Hendrickson has pitched in 4 games (2 starts) this spring for the Orioles in which he is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. The Orioles need Hill to get healthy soon as Hendrickson isn’t missing many bats this spring.

The Orioles have released catcher Guillermo Quiroz who played in 10 games this spring for the Orioles in which he was 3 for 10 (.300 avg, .700 OPS) with 1 RBI. What this means is that the Orioles are likely to go with rookie Matt Wieters as the starting catcher in 2009. He is 12 for 32 (.375 avg, 1.023 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. He has also only whiffed 3 times this spring. Veteran Gregg Zaun has also been impressive this spring as he is 9 for 27 (.333 avg, .808 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 3 RBIs.

UPDATE: Matt Wieters has been sent to AAA.

30-year old lefty swinging Luke Scott will be the starting DH for the Orioles in 2009. He played in 148 games for the Orioles last season and he was 122 for 475 (.257 avg, .808 OPS) with 67 runs scored, 23 homers and 65 RBIs. Look for Ty Wigginton to get some at bats against tough lefties in this spot unless Scott proves he can handle them.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

The Orioles are very deep at 3B for the 2009 season. 37-year old righty swinging Melvin Mora will be the starter again in 2009. He played in 135 games for the Orioles last season and he was 146 for 513 (.285 avg, .825 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 23 homers, 104 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Mora also improved on defense last season as he made 14 errors in 124 games at 3B for the Orioles last season while showing good range. Look for him to have another good season in 2009 for the Orioles.

31-year old righty swinging Ty Wigginton would be Mora’s replacement if he gets injured or traded. He played in 111 games for the Astros last season in which he was 110 for 386 (.285 avg, .876 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 23 homers, 58 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Wigginton made 6 errors in 82 games at 3B for the Astros last season while showing slightly below average range.

Chris Gomez can also handle 3B in a pinch. He played 20 games there last season for the Pirates and he only made 1 error but showed pretty poor range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B

The Baltimore Orioles have decided to go with defense at shortstop in 2009. They signed 29-year old switch hitting Cesar Izturis to handle the job. He played in 135 games for the Cardinals last season and he was 109 for 414 (.263 avg, .628 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 1 homer, 24 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. Izturis made 11 errors last season in 130 games for the Cardinals but he showed outstanding range. He should work well between 2B Brian Roberts and 3B Melvin Mora who are also above average defenders.

Chris Gomez and Donnie Murphy will battle for the utility man job this spring. Gomez played in 13 games for the Pirates at shortstop last season and he made 3 errors while showing good range. Murphy showed poor range at shortstop while making 2 errors there for the A’s last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

The Orioles have signed 31-year old righty starting pitcher Adam Eaton to a minor league deal. Eaton pitched in 21 games (19 starts) for the Phillies last season and he was 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP. He has now pitched in 197 games (193 starts) in his major league career and he is 68-63 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. This was a grasping at straws move for the Orioles as the starting rotation does not look too promising for the 2009 season. Still, if Eaton makes any starts for the Orioles this season you know they are in deep trouble.