Minor league notes on Hoes, Atkins, Mummey and more

A couple of fans have written to ask me about LJ Hoes and why he played left field Sunday for Single-A Frederick.

This is not a position change and Hoes is still considered a second baseman. But as I have written many times now, the Orioles plan to have many of the minor leaguers play other positions from time to time. It just makes sense to do it while they are in the minors as they take a look at them there and see if the players can add to their respective resumes.

It's why we will see, say, Joe Mahoney play some games in the outfield and why a guy like Caleb Joseph may from time to time take off the catcher's gear and play at first base or in the outfield.

Also, in the specific case of Hoes, he was an outfielder in high school. Also, that position could be more comfortable for him for a while as he tries to get his bat going. He is hitting just .180 through 15 games so far.

Meanwhile, Trent Mummey, the O's fourth-round pick out of Auburn last summer, has been moved from Single-A Delmarva to Frederick while Steven Bumbry heads to Delmarva. Mummey hit .291 with two homers, 12 RBIs and 12 steals in 14 attempts and an OPS of .886 with the Shorebirds.

Frederick now has two center fielders on the roster counting Kyle Hudson. Don't be surprised if one of them moves up to Double-A before too long. For now, Mummey can play a corner outfield spot and so can Hudson. They will both be in the lineup pretty much every day, of course.

Mahoney could be activated and rejoin the Double-A Bowie roster later today. He has not played since April 9 due to a quad injury and is 1-for-7 in two games on the year.

Mitch Atkins, the 25-year-old right-handed pitcher that the Orioles signed in November as a minor league free agent, has now pitched twice for Frederick as he works his way back from an oblique injury. Atkins has allowed seven hits and three runs over nine innings in two games for the Keys.

Atkins is expected to make his next start with Bowie on Friday.

Triple-A catcher Craig Tatum took a foul ball off his hand a few days ago and is considered day-to-day with that injury. It doesn't appear to be a DL situation at this point.

Finally, the left side of the Delmarva infield, with Manny Machado at short and Jonathan Schoop at third, continues to shine. Machado is batting .276 with four doubles, two triples and an OPS of .800. Schoop is batting .338 with two homers, nine RBIs, a .957 OPS and eight walks and strikeouts.

Pretty strong stuff when you consider that Machado is 18 and Schoop is 19 and they are batting pretty much every night versus older and more experienced players. The Orioles have to be quite pleased with the progress of both.

Mychal Givens needs to get his bat going and join that duo. He is hitting just .136 right now at 8-for-59 on the season.

The minor league records through Sunday:
Norfolk is 4-13
Bowie is 8-8
Frederick is 6-9
Delmarva is 8-9

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