Buck Britton moving up, explaining Patton move

Infielder Buck Britton, the brother of Orioles' pitcher Zach Britton, has been promoted from Single-A Frederick to Double-A Bowie after batting .341 and leading the Carolina League with 30 RBIs. Outfielder Kyle Hudson moves up from Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk. The Orioles haven't announced any roster moves beyond optioning pitcher Chris Jakubauskas following last night's game. If they're not rained out tonight, they'll also announce that outfielder Nolan Reimold has been recalled from Norfolk and infielder Ryan Adams had his contract purchased from the Tides. Troy Patton is coming off the 25-man roster, but it's a little complicated. I'll try to explain it here. Patton will end up in Norfolk. That's the most important part. He has an option remaining. But by virtue of the date that Patton made his major league debut with the Astros, he's required to pass through "optional waivers." It takes two business days. With the weekend upon us, it won't become official until Tuesday night. This isn't the same transaction as outright waivers, where you're trying to remove a guy from the 40-man roster or just get rid of him. A team technically can claim Patton, but it never happens. And they're not irrevocable waivers. The Orioles could take him back and work out deal that would allow them to hold onto the left-hander and eventually send him down. Again, he won't get claimed. It's sort of a gentleman's agreement. It happens a handful of times every season, but you just don't read about it. This sort of transaction usually occurs when a player with Patton's service time is recalled for a day or two and then optioned.