BALTIMORE - In his return to baseball after a 10-day suspension for steroid use, Rafael Palmeiro didn't offer an apology and did not discuss the details of his failed drug test.

He didn't play, either.

Palmeiro rejoined the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday and watched from the dugout as his teammates beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4-2. It might be a day or two before Palmeiro returns to the starting lineup, and it will take much longer for him to become comfortable talking about the positive test for steroids that tarnished his name, perhaps forever.

"It's been a tough time for me and my family over the last couple of weeks, and at this time I've been instructed by my attorneys not to comment on the situation," he said. "The time will come soon, hopefully, that I can explain my situation."

Palmeiro was suspended by Major League Baseball on Aug. 1 for failing a drug test. Information on the case has been forwarded to Congress; for that reason, he will not address the issue.

He did, however, position himself in the Baltimore dugout in front dozens of cameras, reporters and microphones to talk about his feelings and to reiterate his stance on all questions involving his drug test.

"Congress is going over all the stuff right now and I am just going to wait on that situation to be over with," Palmeiro said. "Im just taking it one day at a time."

Most of all, he wants to focus on baseball.

"I want to say that I'm happy to be back. I'm anxious to get back on the field and playing the game that I love very much," he said.

That didn't happen in his first day back, but Palmeiro had no problem with interim manager Sam Perlozzo's decision to keep him on the bench.

"I haven't done anything in 10 days," Palmeiro said, "so I'll need a couple days to get back into it."

It will take a lot longer for him to salvage his reputation.

Major League Baseball has told the House Government Reform Committee that it will turn over documents related to Palmeiro's case Friday. Palmeiro has said he has no idea how steroids got into his body.

"We'll begin reviewing them immediately. It's hard to say how long that review will take, because we don't know what's coming at us. We don't know how many documents, how detailed they'll be, what questions might arise," said Dave Marin, spokesman for committee chairman Tom Davis, R-Va.

At Davis' request, Palmeiro authorized baseball to turn over information about his failed drug test.

Davis wants to investigate whether the player might have committed perjury when he testified under oath to Congress that he hadn't used steroids.

Palmeiro's agent, Arn Tellem, said Wednesday that the star first baseman would not address his case for now.

"It would not be appropriate to comment while the House Committee on Government Reform is doing its work," Tellem said.

Asked about that stance, Marin said: "There's nothing related to this committee that would prevent Rafael from speaking to anybody."

Palmeiro received a standing ovation at Camden Yards on July 25, his first day back home after becoming the fourth player in major league history to get 3,000 hits and 500 home runs. There was supposed to be ceremony on his behalf this Sunday, but the team canceled it at Palmeiro's request.

"I'm sure in the next couple of days I will get back out there on the field," he said. "As far as the fans, you know these are great fans. I've always enjoyed playing here. These are the best fans in the game and I hope they can understand my situation right now. I'll accept how they react."

While the Orioles took batting practice, Palmeiro signed autographs for fans behind the Baltimore dugout - something he does not usually do. A young girl carried a large orange sign that read, "Welcome Back Raffy."

Not all the fans were so forgiving.

Four fans walked into the stadium together wearing orange jerseys with the words, "Hall of Shame" in black letters on front with image of a syringe underneath. Palmeiro's No. 25 was on the back.

One of them, Michael Riordan of Washington, D.C., said, "The right thing to do is to say something, to say anything before you step back onto that field. You owe it to the media, you owe it to your fans who have rooted for you the last 15 years. No matter what the story is, whether he's absolutely guilty or whether he's 100 percent innocent, he should have said something the last 10 days."

Perlozzo figured some fans would welcome back Palmeiro without compromise, and that others would express anger over his failed drug test.

"He's going to get mixed reviews, there's no question," said Perlozzo, who replaced fired manager Lee Mazzilli four days after Palmeiro's suspension began. "There's going to be a bunch of boos and we're hoping for a bunch of cheers. And that's going to happen everywhere. He's going to have to get through it, and so are we."

When Palmeiro arrived at the Baltimore clubhouse Thursday, Perlozzo asked him if he wished to address the team.

"He said no, he'd rather go around individually," Perlozzo said. "Emotionally, he's been through a lot. He thought it would be better if he did that. He said he would tell everyone he was sorry about the distraction."

Still, he was delighted to be back in uniform again.

"I've been playing baseball now for 20 years and this is all that I have done. This is all I know," Palmeiro said. "It was tough being away. But it was good to see my teammates. They are happy that I am back. And they're anxious for me to get back on the field."