The waiting for Jahmai Jones is the hardest part

The calls for Jahmai Jones grew louder over the weekend after Freddy Galvis limped off the field Saturday afternoon, the severity of his quadriceps injury written on his face.

The pain and anguish, the attempts to fight back tears as he rode a cart to the auxiliary tent and later was placed in a vehicle - needing assistance just to sit down - for the ride to a nearby hospital.

Fans want Jones in the majors and they want him now. Armchair general managers spew insults from their foaming mouths.

What better time than as the replacement for Galvis, who's projected to miss one to two months with a Grade 1-plus strain?

Except for one problem, of course. Jones isn't a shortstop. Galvis is a shortstop.

Actually there are a couple problems, but let's begin here.

Jones made a little more sense if the Orioles were replacing a second baseman, and, yes, also calling up Ramón Urías or Domingo Leyba during yesterday's flurry could have made it work in theory. Jones' inability to play shortstop wasn't as much of a factor. But the club wants him to keep developing at second after he lost valuable time with a strained oblique.

What he's doing at the plate gets noticed, trust me on this, but won't be the sole determination for whether he's promoted.

Outfielder Yusniel Diaz is a similar case. He's been hurt again, and impressive numbers after returning to Norfolk's lineup are only part of the evaluation process.

Can he stay healthy? Can he be trusted in the outfield? Can raw skills be sharpened?

The Orioles are banking on "yes" answers across the board, but he also needs more work and Ryan McKenna, recalled yesterday, offers speed and athleticism as an extra outfielder. They are more comfortable putting him on the shuttle without concerns about how it impacts his development.

Look no further than the five times he's been recalled.

McKenna had two hits yesterday, leaving the amateur GMs flustered. The chat room was explosive. Sort of like ordering Taco Bell after midnight.

As for Jones, he led off yesterday, started at second base and went 0-for-3 with a walk and run scored to leave his average at .288 with a .921 OPS, five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 17 RBIs, 16 walks and 14 runs scored in 22 games. He was 4-for-8 with a homer on his rehab assignment with Single-A Aberdeen.

Jones should resurface in the majors later this summer. That's certainly the hope throughout the organization. But one person described him as still "rough around the edges" at second base. Not a knock, just an honest evaluation and an understandable predicament given the position changes.

The Orioles want him to establish a firm base, so to speak, at Triple-A while treating him like a prospect and setting him up to claim a steady role moving forward.

Do you have to like it? No. But this is what's happening.

Let's indulge in some Twitter samples from yesterday as if we're cruising the aisles at Costco:

* "Why can't he continue his development at the major league level? He's easily the best second baseman on the roster if they were to call him up."

He isn't the best defensive second baseman on the roster and the Orioles are emphasizing improvement in the field in order to keep him in the lineup on a daily basis. Whether or not you agree is a separate topic.

* "Any chance they're keeping Jones on the farm because they like him enough that they don't want to start his service time clock!"

This is about development for Jones, who made his major league debut with the Angels in 2020. The clock isn't a concern.

* "If you want flexibility through infield and need outfield help, then there's no better player to call up than Jones, who can do both."

The Orioles aren't trying to make him a utility player. First shot is making him a starter at second base.

* "I don't see why defense is the issue (and outfield flexibility) when they called up Mounty last year, who was no where near polished in left."

Ryan Mountcastle was kept down until his defense improved to where the Orioles were willing to put him in left field, a new position for him. And Mountcastle's bat is more advanced than Jones' bat. Ask, well, anyone.

* "Continue developing while putting up comparable stats to Wander Franco albeit with half the at bats. Jones isn't gonna learn major league pitching in AAA."

Now we're comparing Jones to Wander Franco. I should have tapped out here.

* "If his bat can produce he can make up for his defense."

That's not how they're approaching development. They don't want his bat to make up for his defense. And he'd really have to be hitting. This isn't a large sample size because of the oblique injury.

* "Tatis has major struggles fielding but he's not being held down in the minors for it. Juan Soto has struggles fielding but he skipped AAA altogether. You don't need to be a complete five-tool player to be in the majors."

Now we're comparing Jones to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto, two special cases, two elite prospects during their ranking days. This is seriously happening. And the Orioles aren't waiting for Jones to become a five-tool player. They don't base call-up decisions on whether a player is graded highly on five tools.

Jones kept bouncing from infield to outfield and didn't master any position. He's still getting his footing at second, finding his comfort zone.

The Orioles didn't settle for Jones in the Alex Cobb trade with the Angels. They targeted him. He wasn't some sort of consolation prize after the Angels rejected other proposals.

Team officials are paying close attention to him in Norfolk. They really like him. They just aren't going to rush him when they believe that there's work to be done in order to make him a more complete player.

A player who can avoid the shuttle.

And you don't have to like it.

Meanwhile, the roster now has 13 pitchers and four bench players. Returning Rule 5 pick Mac Sceroler to the Reds after he cleared waivers removed a pitcher who couldn't be used in tight situations and limited bullpen flexibility.

The Orioles will try to stick with 13 pitchers for as long as possible. It could be a few days, it could be longer. Depends how the games play out.

Stevie Wilkerson was optioned because his ability to play pretty much everywhere in the field became less important, and he went 12-for-72 (.167) with three walks and 30 strikeouts.

The Orioles needed more coverage at shortstop, a position Wilkerson no longer plays. McKenna spells Cedric Mullins, a Phase 2 All-Star finalist, and he gets the banged up outfielders off their feet.

You can see the logic. Or you can be blind to it. Your call.