Mayo understands business side of baseball sent him back to Norfok

NEW YORK – While the Orioles were determining that starter Zach Eflin needed to go on the injured list after he tried throwing yesterday, Coby Mayo went through his pregame routine at Harbor Park in Norfolk and readied for his first appearance in the minors since Aug. 1.

Mayo was optioned on Thursday after spending two weeks with the Orioles. He received 20 plate appearances and was 1-for-17 with three walks and 10 strikeouts.

Playing time began to dwindle in that short period. Mayo appeared in the first five games, including four starts, between Aug. 2-7. He didn’t get back in the lineup until Aug. 11 at Tropicana Field and last Wednesday at Camden Yards.

The fade didn’t tip off Mayo about the organization’s plans for him.

“I would say I was a little shocked, but not really,” he said yesterday in a phone interview. “I knew that if I wasn’t helping the team win, I wasn’t going to play. But at the same time, I feel like I was getting better, I was getting a lot of work done.”

Mayo went out on a high note with his first major league hit after lining out in his previous at-bat. The team announced the following day that Mayo was optioned, with left-handed hitting Liván Soto, a more versatile defender, taking his spot.

“I think that was probably my best game,” he said. “So I was a little surprised, but it’s one of those things where you kind of understand the business side of it.”

The explanation given to Mayo, or at least shared yesterday, wasn’t fully detailed.  

“I really don’t know, to be exact,” he said. “There’s a lot of assumptions that go around, whether it’s with the righties coming up, whether it’s go down and get your confidence back up and start raking again like you have. It’s a little bit of everything. They don’t want to tell you something specific. They’re just like, ‘Hey, you’re going down and you’ll be back up. Keep doing your thing.’”

The numbers obviously didn’t impress after the Orioles summoned one of their top prospects, ranked No. 2 by MLB Pipeline and 10^th in baseball, but Mayo found value in those seven games.

“In a short time, I think it’s just a little taste of what you need to know and you get a little bit of that initial, I guess, shock and, ‘Wow, I’m in the big leagues,’” he said. “That kind of goes away, and you get to go back and calm down a little bit and just work on some things and get that confidence back up so that when you’re called up again the next time, you’re ready.”

The Orioles haven’t hid their desire for Mayo to keep working on his defense at the infield corners, which is an easier task at Triple-A and away from the pennant race. And they don’t want him sitting on the bench.

“I definitely think I’m someone who benefits off playing every day,” he said. “I’m always my best when I get an everyday opportunity and I know right now in the big leagues it’s hard, especially when they’re in the midst of an AL pennant race. I understand that side of it. They’re trying to put the best lineup out there every single day, whether that’s with me in or out of it.

“I think that just playing every day down here is gonna be nice for me. Get back to being who I am.”

Mayo started at third base last night but also can move across the infield, the extent of his flexibility until the Orioles begin working him out in right field. He went 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored to leave his average at .304 with a .964 OPS.

Teams can add another pitcher and position player on Sept. 1 and Mayo should return. His demotion wasn’t viewed as a long-term situation. But it doesn’t hurt to keep hammering baseballs and remove any doubts.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “You’d like to think when rosters do expand that I’d be someone who would go up, but at the same time there’s a lot of really good players in the organization and there’s a lot of guys who are deserving of it, so we’ll see.”

At least he got the first major league hit out of the way. Better than having it on hold down in Norfolk.

“I felt really good that last game,” he said. “I had two really good at-bats. Hit a ball well to left field. I’m going to take those and run with hit down here and try to keep building off that momentum. I was really happy to get that first one out of the way.”

The Orioles responded to Eflin's injury by scoring right away and beating the Mets 9-5 to regain first place in the division. Mayo stepped to the plate in the first inning at Norfolk and lined a single into right field, and he led off the ninth with a single into left.

It's a business. Mayo is taking care of his own.