More thoughts on need to evaluate Martin and Mateo

Maikel Franco spent almost a month trying to come back from a sprained ankle. His pursuit of a foul ball in Houston leading to a spill on the warning track and an injury that coincided with Ryan McKenna's catch for the last out of the game.

Franco has resumed his role as the everyday third baseman, but do the arrivals of Richie Martin and Jorge Mateo impact him?

The Orioles cleared out two third basemen recently by optioning Kelvin Gutiérrez and having Domingo Leyba designated for assignment. Mateo has appeared in nine major league games at third, with no starts. Martin played four games at third in the Cape Cod League in 2013.

Ramón Urías made 65 starts at third base in the minors and four in Mexico, but he stayed at second base Friday night after Ryan Mountcastle came out of the game to be evaluated for a concussion. Mateo made his Orioles debut at third, with Franco moving across the diamond.

Mateo failed to get a glove on Nelson Cruz's bases-loaded liner in the eighth that resulted in a tie-breaking two-run double. He leaped for a ball clocked by Statcast at 89 mph and it zipped past his wrist.

"That was a hard hit and that was a tough play," he said. "I tried to do my best, but that thing happens in the game."

Mateo said he's most comfortable at shortstop "but I'm here to play whatever they ask me to play and I'm ready to do the best I can do."

Manager Brandon Hyde started Mateo at second base last night and intends to evaluate him in the middle infield before considering other positions. The blazing speed - Mateo is the fastest player in baseball, per updated Statcast data - makes him an interesting defensive replacement in the outfield. He'll also be a pinch-sprinter coming off the bench. But the Orioles need to determine if he can be their starter at short or second next season, and the only way to know is to give him regular work.

Put him in the lineup and keep him there, something that hasn't happened in his three other organizations.

The error last night on an errant flip to second base won't be held against him.

Martin was competing for a utility job in spring training after the Orioles signed Freddy Galvis and claimed Yolmer Sánchez, and he sustained his fractured wrist while in center field for Triple-A Norfolk. He could keep moving around the infield to provide that option in 2022 and, depending on winter transactions, perhaps break camp as a starter.

A healthy break for once.

His work at shortstop Friday night was outstanding, with multiple plays made that weren't reflected in the box score. His range and arm were on full display and he also made a heads-up attempt to tag a runner at third base on a deflected ball.

The fielding error last night in the shift won't be held against him.

"Richie Martin the last couple days defensively at short really, really ... the athleticism, the range that he has, instincts defensively," Hyde said after Friday's game. "He's just always in the right spot. He's just so quick and makes things happen defensively. He really increases our range. Him and Mateo both increase our range."

Asked about the duo last night, Hyde said:

"It's fun to watch, They're very athletic. We have a ton of range up the middle with those two guys. You saw on the popup, (Cedric) Mullins wasn't even expecting Mateo to be there. That scared the heck out of all of us in the dugout, and that was just because of Mateo's range there that he was able to get to that ball.

"It's going to be fun to work with both of those guys because they have major league middle infield range. It's going to take some work, but Mateo hasn't had regular playing time in a couple years and he doesn't have a ton of innings in the infield in the big leagues. He's going to have some bumps along the way, but definitely will be fun to work with."

So, back to Franco.

The Orioles aren't likely to re-sign him over the winter. He seems one-and-done, with no assurances that he makes it through the season. Roster space will be needed - for example, if Jahmai Jones finally is promoted. That's another infielder, and another story.

These last months or weeks or whatever could be devoted to evaluating players with a real shot at breaking camp. And it's especially important to get a complete read on Mateo. That's the whole point of claiming him.

No one has more experience at third than Franco, but it isn't really relevant now. The Orioles should be diving into the evaluation/experimentation phase of their season - still trying to win games but obviously aware of the bigger picture that always casts a shadow.

Moving Franco to the bench or reducing his playing time, at the least, would be the cost of doing rebuild business.