Portland Timbers center back Liam Ridgewell once again participated in full training Tuesday morning, but it remains to be seen whether he will join the club in Orlando for their match against Orlando City SC Sunday.

After wearing the captain's armband in each of the first two games of the 2018 MLS season, Ridgewell hasn't even traveled with the Timbers for the club's last two matches.

Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese has made a coach's decision to leave Ridgewell, who is fully healthy, off the lineup sheet in back-to-back games and has not said when the veteran center back could return to the game day roster.

"We wanted to go with the 18 that we felt needed to travel this particular time," said Savarese about last week's game against the Chicago Fire. "As I continue to say, Ridgewell is very important for us. I think sooner than later, you'll see that. We believe 100 percent in his capabilities. He's been always a very important component of this club. He's training very well, so soon I think he's going to be back for sure."

Ridgewell last played for the Timbers on March 10 when the club posted an embarrassing 4-0 loss to a second-choice New York Red Bulls lineup. Highlights from the game showed Ridgewell slowly jogging back on New York's first goal.

Savarese has not said whether Ridgewell's lack of effort in New York or other factors led to his decision to leave the veteran center back off the lineup sheet following the March 10 game. Instead, he has remained vague in describing the reasoning behind the move.

The Timbers have put in their best performances of the season in the last two weeks without Ridgewell in the lineup, drawing FC Dallas 1-1 on March 24 before playing the Chicago Fire to a 2-2 draw last week.

"There's a reason," said Savarese about Ridgewell's absence from the lineup. "He knows it. I know it. He remains a very important component of the team."

Ridgewell has not been made available to the Portland media since his last start, but did comment on his removal from the lineup on Twitter on March 24 writing, "Disappointed to be dropped from the squad this weekend. But I'll keep on working hard as usual."

Savarese said that he and Ridgewell have talked privately about the lineup decision.

"Honestly, I think it's been carried on too much," Savarese said. "It's just a player, a coach having a conversation, speaking about some things, and we feel that we needed to make some decisions and that's it. It's nothing more than that. He remains a very important component of the team and I think everybody knows that. He's done very well for the club in the past and he remains to be a very important piece."

Ridgewell has made 86 starts for the Timbers since joining the club in 2014 and had worn the captain's armband since 2015.

It wouldn't make a lot of sense for the Timbers to keep a player like Ridgewell on the roster simply to ride the bench in the long-run. Ridgewell, who made $615,000 in 2017, is one of the higher-paid players on the roster and the club is using Targeted Allocation Money to buy down his contract for salary cap purposes.

But Ridgewell's current role on the team could change quickly. Savarese indicated Tuesday that he expects Ridgewell to return to the game day roster at some point soon.

Still, after Portland's performances in the last two games, it won't be easy for Savarese to make changes to his current starting center back duo, even if he feels ready to reinsert Ridgewell in the lineup.

Bill Tuiloma has started in two-straight games in place of Ridgewell and earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Week for his performance against FC Dallas on March 24.

"It's week-to-week," Savarese said. "Everybody has to do well in practice to be able to make the team. We'll see if this weekend (Ridgewell) travels or if the next one, we play at home the following match. He's very much involved and 100 percent training and ready to step in whenever the right moment will be."

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg