The Baltimore Orioles made a slew of roster moves on Tuesday as they continue to reduce their headcount ahead of Opening Day. The most notable of those transactions saw the Orioles demote infielder Coby Mayo to Triple-A, the same level at which he’s spent most of the past two seasons. Perhaps predictably, Mayo took the opportunity to express his disappointment with the situation.
“It definitely is difficult,” Mayo told reporters, including the Baltimore Banner. “It obviously sucks because you feel like you’ve proven everything you’ve needed to. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough. Obviously, you go back there and if you have success, it’s: ‘Oh, he’s supposed to have success because he’s already proven it,’ and if he doesn’t have success, it’s, ‘Oh, well, obviously he’s fallen off.’ It’s kind of a lose-lose going to Norfolk.”
Orioles manager Brandon Hyde used Mayo’s criticism to praise his remaining roster.
“That’s what happens when you have good teams. Good teams option players that they like,” he told reporters, including the Baltimore Sun. “More reps at Triple-A, we feel like that’s what he needs right now.”
Not everyone will take kindly to Mayo publicizing his frustration, but it’s worth remembering that he’s a 23-year-old who is in an unusual predicament. In 151 Triple-A games, he’s hit .279/.376/.543 with 34 home runs — marks that would earn him a certain spot on most big-league rosters. Unfortunately for him, there are a few forces working against him establishing the same quality of foothold in Baltimore.
Among those: the Orioles’ congested infield depth chart — they have more talented infielders than spots — and his own recent struggles. To wit, Mayo posted a .293 OPS across 17 games after debuting last season in The Show. He then followed that up this spring by hitting .190/.232/.262 in 17 exhibition contests.
That combination means, no matter how annoying it is, that Mayo will now head back to his familiar minor-league haunt with the hopes of hitting his way back into the majors.
