Baltimore Orioles left-hander Adam Loewen has abandoned his career as a pitcher because of a stress fracture in his left elbow, the same injury that sidelined him last season and twice put him on the disabled list this year.

Loewen, 24, intends to return to the majors as an outfielder.

Had Loewen opted for a second operation on his elbow, it would have taken him at least 18 months to return. There was no guarantee he would be pain-free or would not re-injure himself.

“I won’t have to have surgery,” Loewen said Saturday. “If I did choose the other road with pitching, it would be a long road with no clear ending.”

The fourth overall pick in the 2002 amateur draft, the 6-foot-6 Loewen made his major league debut with Baltimore in 2006. His final numbers as a pitcher: 8-8 with a 5.38 ERA in 35 games, including 28 starts.

•The Orioles addressed their shaky shortstop situation by acquiring Juan Castro from the Colorado Rockies in a trade of minor league infielders.

Castro was batting .300 in 18 games with Triple-A Colorado Springs.

Myers regains swagger

Right-hander Brett Myers rejoined the Philadelphia Phillies in Miami after starting four games in the minor leagues trying to shake a season-long slump.

“I had to get my swagger back,” Myers said.

Myers has not been activated, but he’s expected to start one of the Phillies’ games next week against the Mets in New York.

He made his final minor league start Friday, allowing two earned runs in 6 2/3 innings for Single-A Clearwater.

Clearing the bases

Daric Barton smacked his head on the bottom of a pool during the All-Star break, requiring six staples to close the gash and leaving the Oakland first baseman with a neck strain that landed him on the disabled list. Barton was placed on the 15-day DL, retroactive to July 14. … The New York Mets decided to wait until next weekend to let Pedro Martinez take the mound again, giving him more time to recover from a groin injury. Martinez strained his groin while running the bases on July 7. He got a cortisone shot on Thursday. … Houston ace Roy Oswalt was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hip and a herniated disk in his back. Oswalt (7-8, 4.56 ERA) underwent an MRI exam that confirmed a strained left hip abductor.