High Orioles prospect Coby Mayo will see his preliminary style of the majors draw to a detailed after simply seven video games and 20 plate appearances. Baltimore introduced Thursday that Mayo has been optioned again to Triple-A Norfolk. Infielder Livan Soto was recalled from Norfolk in his place.
Mayo, considered one of many prime prospects not simply in Baltimore’s system however in all of baseball, was referred to as up shortly after third baseman Jordan Westburg suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch.
Expectations have been excessive, contemplating his distinguished placement on nationwide prospect rankings and his gaudy .301/.375/.586 batting line by 341 Triple-A plate appearances throughout simply his age-22 season. Nonetheless, like fellow prime prospect Jackson Holliday earlier than him, Mayo stumbled out of the gate with a strikeout-laden displaying and was despatched again to Triple-A in pretty quick order. He went simply 1-for-17 with three walks and 10 strikeouts in these 20 journeys to the plate.
There’s no sense in making any long-term judgment on Mayo primarily based on a tricky week in his first glimpse of the majors. Many detractors have been fast to write down Holliday off after comparable early struggles, and he’s returned from Norfolk with a .255/.314/.596 line and 5 house runs in 51 plate appearances. Twenty ugly plate appearances don’t say something about Mayo’s long-term future aside from that he may but want a bit extra work within the higher minors earlier than he will get his subsequent huge league audition.
In sending Mayo again to Norfolk, the O’s appear to be committing to Ramon Urias as the first third baseman in Westburg’s absence — though Soto may additionally see some run on the sizzling nook. The Orioles may additionally retain Mayo’s prospect/rookie standing for the 2025 season as nicely, which might put them in place to probably land a draft decide if he finishes nicely sufficient in ’25 Rookie of the Yr voting. As long as Mayo finishes with fewer than 130 at-bats and fewer than 45 days on the lively roster, he’ll nonetheless be eligible for that profit. If that have been a major concern for them, they probably wouldn’t have introduced Mayo to the large leagues within the first place, however retaining that risk is now absolutely seen as an ancillary good thing about at the moment’s transfer.
Urias, 30, appears likeliest to garner extra taking part in time. He drew sensational defensive marks at third base simply two seasons in the past, however each Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Common have soured on his glovework on the place. On the plate, Urias has turned in a .236/.306/.372 slash on the plate this season, sitting about 5% worse than league-average general (by measure of wRC+).
As for Soto, he’s hit extraordinarily nicely in a small pattern of 74 plate appearances, batting .358/.397/.507 courting again to 2022. It must be emphasised that his line is propped up by a gargantuan .451 common on balls in play that he received’t maintain, and Soto has a way more modest observe file in Triple-A, the place he’s hit .267/.364/.386 in 709 plate appearances as a utilityman.
