After 20 Plate Appearances (PA) and one hit, the Orioles decide to send 3B Coby Mayo back down to Triple A. While it may be a move that surprises some, there’s certainly a method to the Orioles’ madness.

Earlier in the season the #1 prospect in all of baseball, Jackson Holliday, faced a similar short stint at the Major league level. He filled in at Second Base (2B) for the Orioles from April 10th to April 26th before being optioned back down to Triple A.

While the defense was prominent, the offense was lackluster. Batting just a measly 2-for-33, Holliday re-established himself at the Triple A level. He has since been recalled to the MLB level, and is currently batting .262 with four homers and nine RBIs!

As mentioned, Mayo still notched one hit. Quite a good one at that! He also managed to draw three walks, too. The offense was promising, and the defense was OK at best. He is young though (22 years old), and it may simply be that he stays down in the minors for reasons beyond his performances.

Optioning Mayo now allows him to maintain rookie status for the 2025 MLB season. When Gunnar Henderson won AL ROY, he earned the Orioles an incentive draft pick. For this season, the Orioles have Colton Cowser as eligible (and a strong candidate) to win the award. This possibility for another extra incentive pick may just keep Mayo down this season!