BALTIMORE -- In the midst of a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, the Orioles added a fresh arm to their bullpen Saturday morning, swapping out right-hander Evan Phillips for righty Jimmy Yacabonis.

Phillips was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after surrendering two runs over 1 2/3 innings in Friday¡¯s 8-3 loss, his third straight appearance with multiple runs allowed. Phillips also issued four walks across 2 2/3 innings over that stretch, which ballooned his ERA from 3.60 to 7.11.

¡°I think we¡¯re still in a growing process with a lot of our guys, and Evan is a part of that,¡± Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said. ¡°He¡¯s sitting at 96 with a good slider and now it¡¯s about being able to execute the slider. ... To be able to compete here, you have to have command. You can¡¯t rely on stuff alone on a nightly basis. Some of our guys just haven¡¯t developed that expertise yet, and that¡¯s something we¡¯re working on daily.¡±

In his place Baltimore summoned Yacabonis, who spent the past two weeks at Norfolk trying to smooth over some similar issues. Yacabonis¡¯ fastball-slider combination has looked electric at times, notably during a string of multi-inning appearances early in the year. Yacabonis was called into Saturday's 7-2 loss to the Angels in the eighth inning, where he gave up one run on three hits, while striking out three over two frames. The righty owns a 6.11 ERA across 11 appearances overall.

From the trainers room

With Austin Hays' left thumb fully healed, the outfield prospect will embark on a Minor League rehab assignment this weekend, per Hyde. Hays has been participating in extended spring games for more than a week, his first game action since spraining his left thumb at Minor League camp in late March. The club¡¯s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline endured a down year in 2018 while playing through shoulder and ankle injuries.

Richard Bleier¡¯s recovery from left shoulder tendinitis took the southpaw to Double-A Bowie this weekend, where he completed a third rehab appearance without issue. Bleier threw a scoreless inning in the club¡¯s 8-5 win over Richmond on Friday night, then followed that up Saturday with a scoreless first inning, starting the game due to weather concerns. Bleier estimated he¡¯d need at least five appearances before deeming his stuff game-ready, and with the Baysox set to hit the road early next week, his rehab will likely be transferred to somewhere more geographically convenient. He¡¯s been on the injured list since April 11.

Nuney not in there

Renato Nunez¡¯s cold streak is beginning to cut into his playing time. Mired in a 4-for-48 slump, Nunez was out of the lineup for the second time in four games Saturday against right-hander Matt Harvey. Hyde didn¡¯t go as far as to say it would be the start of an extended break for Nunez, but also didn¡¯t shoot down the possibility while characterizing his DH¡¯s struggles as mental.

¡°For me he¡¯s just pressing,¡± Hyde said. ¡°When guys press, they get tense, their swings get really big. It¡¯s like he¡¯s trying to hit three home runs with one swing. He¡¯s a good hitter and I just feel like he¡¯s trying so hard, just battling himself a little at the plate. I¡¯d love to see him relax and take a base hit up the middle.¡±

Nunez was one of the Orioles' most pleasant surprises of April, hitting .301 with an .894 OPS over his first 25 games. But those numbers have plummeted to .083 and .187 respectively in his past 12 contests. Nunez has 19 strikeouts and no walks over that stretch.