BALTIMORE -- He's back with his teammates, but he's not back on the field just yet. Todd Williams rejoined the Orioles on Friday and will likely be activated this weekend, bringing a vexing period of his career to a close. The veteran missed all of Spring Training and most of April with a sore shoulder and a calf strain, robbing the team of an experienced arm.

The timeline is still a little sketchy, but Saturday seems to be the most likely option for the reliever's return. Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo said Williams will be asked whether he's ready to rejoin the team, and the right-hander told the local media that he doesn't see any reason why he'd decline.

"I'm hoping [for] the next couple days," said Williams, who has pitched in four Minor League rehab games. "There's no official word yet, but I got a chance to go back-to-back down there. Physically, I'm pretty good. I've just got to start making pitches."

When Williams returns, the Orioles hope to see a ripple effect through the rest of the bullpen. Baltimore has three rookie relievers -- Sendy Rleal, Chris Britton and Eddy Rodriguez -- and a first-year closer, so Williams should bring some stability. Britton and Rodriguez are the likely candidates to be reassigned, but veteran Jim Brower could also get the call.

Williams said he doesn't know what other benefits he can get from pitching in the Minor Leagues. He's proven he's healthy, and now he needs to face the best hitters on the planet. Perlozzo understands that, but he's unwilling to commit just yet.

"If [Todd] pitches the way he's capable of pitching, he'll give us a big boost," he said. "I'm hoping he's not going to be rusty when he gets in, but there's always that chance. It pushes us a little deeper and allows you to maneuver earlier in the game. We've had some trouble there, so it might give our other guys some confidence."

With that said, it's a weird spot for Williams to suddenly be looked at as a tonic for an ailing bullpen. The 35-year-old has only spent one full season in the big leagues and is much more used to being overlooked. In fact, he has more than 200 saves in the Minor Leagues and just one in the Majors, so he's a little wary that his return might be blown out of proportion.

"I don't think I can come in here and turn it around, make everything great. Hopefully, it will come, and hopefully we can get roles set down there where it gets comfortable," he said. "In past years, when you're trying to make clubs, you know you can do the job but they just view you differently. It's a good feeling to know you're wanted.

"But also, I guess you could take it the wrong way and put more pressure on yourself -- but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to come in here and just do the best I can."

Wheels: Corey Patterson was back in the lineup Friday night, getting a nod of recognition for his three-hit performance on Thursday night. The center fielder also stole a pair of bases, but he's not making any grand claims about turning a corner on his difficult start.

"I'm going to keep playing and let the thought process stay positive, because we're all not going to be good every day," he said. "If you dwell on it, if you worry about it, you're going to make yourself worse and dig yourself deeper in a hole. This year, that's really all I've focused on, because you've got to be realistic with yourself."

The left-handed hitter has been working on hitting the ball on the ground more in order to take advantage of his speed, which gives Baltimore's offense another element. Patterson already has extra-base power, but the Orioles want him to subvert it a little in order to round out his game. He homered on his first swing Friday night, but the point remains the same.

"I can hit the ball in the air in batting practice, and I can get the ball out of the stadium all day," Patterson said. "I think maybe at times, it may have gotten me in trouble a little bit. Now I'm really working on relaxing, calming yourself down but still being aggressive.

"It's still early a little bit, and I haven't played every single day. For me, it's really early to gauge how things are going."

Reunion: Perlozzo had kind words for Seattle manager Mike Hargrove on Friday and said that his counterpart was a key figure in preparing him for a managing job. Hargrove is a former field boss for the Orioles, and during his tenure, he helped convert Perlozzo from a third-base coach to a bench coach.

"I learned a lot from Grover," Perlozzo said. "He allowed me to do a lot of things -- take part in the game, stay in the strategy of the game. I always asked questions, and he was always there to help me. The fact that he asked to get me into the dugout was big for me.

"It was something that I had been thinking about, and I think that was the last step I needed in order to get a shot."

By the numbers: Miguel Tejada's single in the first inning gave him 40 hits, which set a new club record for the most hits in the opening month. The previous record-holder, Roberto Alomar, had 39 hits in April of 1996.

Quotable: "Tell that catcher that I might remember some of the language, so he can't be tricking me out there." -- Perlozzo, who played for a year in Japan, talking about Seattle catcher and Japan native Kenji Johjima

Coming up: The Orioles and Mariners will meet again on Saturday, with Bruce Chen matched up against Seattle phenom Felix Hernandez. Chen has allowed two home runs or more in each of his last three starts.