Orioles' Showalter mulling Gausman as relief option

Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter doesn't know how he'll use Kevin Gausman this season, so he had the young right-hander throw just one inning in relief Thursday in preparation for a potential bullpen role.

"Until everything shakes out, I want him to be ready to do both things," Showalter told MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli of Gausman, who yielded a two-run homer to Victor Martinez in Baltimore's 6-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers.

Neither Showalter or any of his coaches have approached Gausman about the possibility of pitching in relief, but the 23-year-old has experience coming out of the bullpen. As a rookie in 2013, the former first-round pick logged 15 relief appearances for the Orioles, managing a 3.52 ERA with a 31.9-percent strikeout rate in 23 innings.

"Yeah, obviously I think I showed last year that I can pitch out there (in relief)," Gausman said. "I feel good out there, but I also feel comfortable starting, so that's pretty much their decision."

Showalter will confer shortly with pitching coach Dave Wallace to determine when Gausman, who's currently competing with Miguel Gonzalez and Ubaldo Jimenez for the final spot in Baltimore's rotation, will make his next Grapefruit League appearance.