Orioles face a pressing spring training choice they hoped to avoid

Not all of the Baltimore Orioles' young core have lived up to expectations so far. For every Gunnar Henderson, there's a Jackson Holliday. While it's too early to write most of them off yet, one youngster is quickly arriving at a crossroads.

Things haven't gone as planned for Coby Mayo. During a short, 15-game stint in 2024, the youngster slashed an abysmal .098/.196/.098. It was not ideal, but the extremely small sample was nowhere near enough to draw any meaningful conclusions from.

But then, 2025 happened. Mayo struggled in spring training with a .501 OPS, which led to a demotion to Triple-A Norfolk, something he called a "lose-lose situation." When Mayo surfaced in the big leagues, he managed 85 games in total, scuffling to the tune of a .217/.299/.388 line, raising serious questions about his future.

Now, the 24-year-old first baseman is feeling the squeeze. Pete Alonso's addition, combined with Ryan Mountcastle's continued presence on the roster, makes it difficult to see him getting playing time, at least, not at his best position. This has led to a bigger conversation about what to do with Mayo.

The Orioles will look to solve their Cody Mayo conundrum in spring training

The once promising slugger has put Baltimore in a tough position. His extended poor performance has nuked a lot of his trade value. At the same time, getting the playing time at his natural position to rebound seems nearly impossible with the club's signature addition and a better veteran option both stealing away at-bats.

To alleviate the concern, Mike Elias has said that the club will be trying Mayo out at other positions, including third base and the outfield. The former fourth-round pick originally played third when he broke into the minors, but has only received reps at the position very sparingly over the last two years, as it's become clear that his defense isn't up to par at the position.

Further complicating things is Jordan Westburg's status as the club's starting third baseman. Westburg hasn't become a star, but he has a career 115 wRC+ and a better-than-average glove at the hot corner, making him a valuable asset. Both Mayo and Westburg are right-handed bats, eliminating any sort of platoon situation from the equation.

The outfield is the other proposed solution. It's something that Mayo hasn't done as a professional, and it's still unclear how he'd fit. Baltimore already has youngsters Colton Cowser and Dylan Beavers out there, as well as new acquisition Taylor Ward, last year's free-agent disappointment Tyler O'Neill, and reclamation project Leody Taveras. Jeremiah Jackson could also see time on the grass, and top prospect Enrique Bradfield Jr. should factor into the equation later in the year.

The other option is to send Mayo back to Norfolk; however, that might do more harm than good. In Triple-A last year, he hit a disappointing .226/.318/.452. Further struggles at that level would not only kill his confidence, but they would also eliminate any potential trade value he has left.

The best-case scenario is that he takes to third base and the outfield and becomes something of a four-corners utility man. That is the only potential pathway for him to get semi-regular at-bats, but it will depend on his ability to perform in spring training. The Orioles are backed into a corner here, and the chances of a poor outcome are much greater than any possibility of success.