SARASOTA, Fla. (Kyodo) The Baltimore Orioles' Koji Uehara missed Thursday's scheduled appearance against the Minnesota Twins with a sore right elbow.
Uehara, who had been hurt in the preseason the last two years, was given a cortisone shot in his throwing elbow after playing catch on Thursday.
Uehara maintained that the injection was a precautionary measure, and that he could have pitched if necessary. Manager Buck Showalter also said Uehara would be fine, although he did not set a timetable on the pitcher's return.
"I wanted to have the injection at some point before the season — even before today," said Uehara, who gave up a run on two hits in an inning on Monday. "I could have gone out there if I had to, but I just wanted to be doubly sure.
"There's no pressure. Everything's coming along fine."