FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – Kris Benson is experiencing increased soreness in his right shoulder, a development that means the Baltimore Orioles pitcher may need surgery on his torn rotator cuff.

Working on the advice of two doctors, Benson is attempting to rehabilitate the injury at spring training camp. If his bid is unsuccessful, the operation would force the right-hander to miss the 2007 season.

“I had a rough couple days,” Benson said Wednesday. “I don’t know if it’s just a little bump that I’m going through or what, but the last couple days have been pretty sore. … Whenever it gets flared up like it is, it’s tough to get that range of motion.”

After experiencing pain while throwing in the offseason, Benson initially resigned himself to surgery. But further examination determined that he might be able to ease the pain with a rehabilitation program.

He was working two hours daily with trainer Richie Bancells before taking a day off Sunday. Upon his return, Benson experienced far more pain than usual.

“When I came back the next day it was sore and I didn’t really do anything at all,” he said. “It was kind of reminiscent of the time that I did it when I was throwing. I didn’t really do anything different, it just kind of popped up out of nowhere. And then once again (Monday) it just popped up out of nowhere. It’s just tough to tell what’s going on with it.”

Benson knows this much: It’s not good.

“It’s a little frustrating,” he said. “It’s just one of those things. It definitely isn’t anything that we’ve been doing in the training room, because that’s definitely done nothing but help. I can’t really pinpoint it. It just aggravates itself whenever it wants to, I guess.”

Although Benson perceived the pain to be a setback, the Orioles haven’t abandoned hope of seeing him pitch in 2007.

“I think he’s sore. He’s been working extremely hard on his exercises, and according to Richie it was a normal course of events,” manager Sam Perlozzo said. “He was getting close, strength-wise, where they might want to do an every-other-day program with him to get him closer to start to throw the ball.”

Perlozzo, however, said he did not talk to Benson. If he had, the manager might not have been so optimistic.

Asked if he’s experiencing pain in the front of his shoulder, Benson replied, “It’s always been there. … We did make some pretty good progress until I took a day off. It’s been a problem ever since that day.”

Benson is due $7.5 million this year, the final guaranteed season of a $22.5 million, three-year contract. The Orioles hold a $7.5 million option for 2008 with a $500,000 buyout.