SARASOTA, FLA. – While Chris Davis’ recovery from a balky throwing elbow has taken more time than the Orioles expected, manager Buck Showalter said Wednesday that it’s too soon to consider the first baseman a candidate to open the season on the disabled list.

“We’re not there yet,” Showalter said. “I still have confidence we can get this behind us and get enough at-bats to be ready. We’re not there yet. We could get there, but I’m hoping that doesn’t happen.”

Davis hasn’t played since March 2. He received a cortisone shot in the elbow over the weekend when he there was a lull in his improvement. Tuesday was scheduled to be his second straight day of free swinging.

He isn’t going on the Orioles’ two-game trip to Florida’s east coast to play the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets today and Friday — even though Showalter said Wednesday that most regulars will make the trip. So, the earliest he could return is over the weekend.

“I can’t make that decision now,” Showalter said. “He’s a little better today. He’s going to do some things he wasn’t able to do yesterday. We’ll see how he responds to it. I wouldn’t put a date on it yet. We’re not there on it.”

If Davis — who emphasized the importance of getting as many spring at-bats as he could as he attempts to rebound from a down year in 2017 — doesn’t return this weekend, it would give him a maximum of seven more Grapefruit League games, not including the exhibition at Triple-A Norfolk on the team’s way back to Baltimore.

So, even though it might not be a consideration yet, it won’t be long until the Orioles must decide whether Davis can get enough time to get ready for the regular season or need to stay back to get the necessary preparation time. Davis is 2-for-13 this spring, playing in just five games.

Rickard, Tejada cut: Despite going into spring training as a top candidate to win an Opening Day roster spot, outfielder Joey Rickard was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk earlier than anticipated Wednesday with 11 days remaining in camp.

Along with Rickard, infielder Rubén Tejada — who was competing for the club’s utility infielder position — was reassigned to minor league camp, trimming the team’s major league camp roster to 42 players.

The likelihood of Rickard making the club steadily diminished as the Orioles added more outfield options. The week before camp began, the Orioles re-signed Craig Gentry to a minor league deal, and then added veterans Colby Rasmus and Alex Presley on minor league deals. With the team wanting to see more of prospects Austin Hays and Cedric Mullins, Rickard ended up being the player sent out before all of them.

Rickard, who made the Opening Day roster in 2016 and 2017 — first as a Rule 5 pick and then again last year — graded out last season as one of the top defensive outfielders in the American League. But he struggled at the plate this spring, hitting just .152/.282/.182 in 15 games.

The Orioles re-signed Tejada to compete for the utility spot with Luis Sardiñas and Éngelb Vielma, but was the first of the three candidates to be cut. He hit .194/.237/.250 in 19 Grapefruit League games, but more importantly, he didn’t show that he could earn the club’s trust defensively.

Around the horn: The Orioles made one cut before Wednesday’s game, reassigning left-hander Jayson Aquino to minor league camp to trim the big league camp roster to 44 players. ... Mark Trumbo returned to the lineup Wednesday as the Orioles’ starting designated hitter, his first Grapefruit League action since March 6 after being sidelined with a quad injury. … Right-hander Gabriel Ynoa, currently out with a stress reaction in his right shin, was scheduled to do some work out of his boot for the first time, said Showalter, who hoped the pitcher could return at some point next week.

eencina@baltsun.com

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