PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- Baltimore Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy will likely begin the season on the disabled list because of a strained left shoulder.
Orioles manager Buck Showalter said Monday that he was optimistic that Hardy wouldn't miss much time and that "nothing would reach into May."
"What they expected to find, they found. Just a matter of how long (he'll be out)," Showalter told reporters. "... It's pretty good news, all things considered."
The three-time Gold Glove shortstop was hurt Friday when he collided with second baseman Jonathan Schoop while diving for a ground ball.
"We're still optimistic," Showalter told reporters Monday. "What's unoptimistic is something that might require surgery or be longer than the time frame that they're thinking."
Everth Cabrera and Ryan Flaherty are the primary candidates to start the season at shortstop.
Hardy is likely to join starting catcher Matt Wieters, who is coming off Tommy John surgery, and outfielder David Lough (hamstring) on the disabled list to start the season.
Baltimore opens its season on April 6 at Tampa Bay.