MRI results favorable for Matt Wieters

Soreness in his elbow led to Matt Wieters’ early departure from the Orioles game Saturday. But an MRI showed no structural damage, so Wieters, a two-time All-American at Georgia Tech, will avoid another Tommy John surgery.

That’s according to a report by Andrew Simon, who covers the Orioles for MLB.com.

Now Wieters will wait for the soreness to disappear to resume his playing time behind the plate.

Wieters seemed to feel discomfort in the top of the first inning Saturday against the Twins when he threw to second base in an attempt to catch base-runner Eduardo Nunez. Wieters left the game at the end of that half-inning.

Wieters underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2014 on the elbow and has been limited since. He played in 26 games that season before the surgery and played in 75 games last season. He was set to become a free agent in the past offseason, but he signed the Orioles’ one-year qualifying offer instead.

Wieters, who turns 30 in May, was the fifth player taken in the 2007 draft after playing three seasons at Tech. In those three seasons, he hit .359 with 35 home runs and 198 RBIs in 704 at-bats.