Orioles center fielder Adam Jones sat out a third straight game as he deals with a lingering hip problem and an ankle injury that kept him out of two games this weekend in Houston.

Manager Buck Showalter said the hope is the extra time off before tonight’s game could get him back.

Jones was included in an initial lineup the team posted, but Showalter said he was one of several players whose lineup status was in question after several players showed up “under the weather.”

“I talked to Adam in Houston and felt like if we gave him Sunday, there’s a good chance he’d be a player today,” Showalter said. “When we did the lineup this morning, we went with that pretense. He came in and said he’s feeling better every day. I think with the quick turnaround. ... I knew he was checking it out, and we kind of met and felt like it’d be good to give him another day with a big turnaround today into tomorrow night.”

Jones was on the field before the game testing himself physically, and finished by fielding ground balls under the observation of head athletic trainer Richie Bancells.

Showalter had said Saturday, on the occasion of Jones’ first absence, that the team had considered sending him home early for further test and evaluations, but decided against it. An absence on Monday might put that into consideration.

“If we still have an issue there, then we probably need to think about some other direction,” Showalter said.

With the new 10-day disabled list, Showalter said the fact that they can only back-date his DL trip three days won’t factor into the decision.

“Pressure is not having a guy as good as Adam,” Showalter said. “If we think we’re going to get him [before the 10-day window], we’ll take it, but we understand the rules and the three days. But that doesn’t play into the decision.”

In his place Monday, Joey Rickard started a third straight day in center field, with Welington Castillo serving as the designated hitter and Caleb Joseph coming into the lineup to catch Dylan Bundy.

Friday starter decision coming today: Showalter said that out of respect for Alec Asher and Ubaldo Jiménez, he’d decide which will start Friday against the Boston Red Sox by today.

He indicated that while no decision has been made after each pitched Sunday, he hadn’t considered any outside candidates.

“The obvious two are Ash and Ubaldo, but I haven’t really thought a whole lot yet about any other options. But I would be surprised if it didn’t come down to one of those two.”

Asher, starting in Jiménez’s rotation spot Sunday, made it just two innings and allowed six runs after a long second inning. Jiménez pitched six innings of relief, allowing two runs on five hits with five strikeouts and no walks.

Tragedy for Mora family:Iveliss Alvarado-Genao, the sister-in-law of former Orioles star Melvin Mora, was killed Friday night and the family is asking the public for help in finding her estranged husband, who police say is suspected of the crime.

Alvarado-Genao was shot twice in the face at a family party in New York soon after separating from her husband, Gabino Genao, who was seen by relatives at the scene. He remains at large and the family is asking for help from the public to locate him.

Mora’s wife, Gisel, contacted media outlets in Baltimore to spread the word. Authorities in New York are asking anyone who might have information on the whereabouts of the suspect to contact 800-577-TIPS.

“Evy” Alvarado-Genao was a mother of two young children who moved to Maryland with her mother to help the Mora family take care of their quintuplets in 2001. She had recently moved back to New York to take a job.

Gabino Genao Sr., the father of the suspect, also has called on his son to surrender, telling the New York Daily News that his son needs “to pay for what he did.”

Mora was a popular player in Baltimore — spending 10 seasons for the Orioles. A native of Venezuela, he became an American citizen in a ceremony earlier this month.

Around the horn: The Orioles observed a moment of silence during Monday’s game to honor Memorial Day. ... Before the ninth inning, the team posted a congratulatory message on the video board to the Maryland men’s and women’s lacrosse teams on their NCAA championships. … Left fielder Trey Mancini made his first career outfield assist in the third inning, catching a fly ball and doubling up outfielder Brett Gardner at third base.

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