Orioles send Cowser to Triple-A to 'free his mind up'

SAN DIEGO -- It’s OK for a highly regarded prospect to not have immediate success upon reaching the Major Leagues for the first time. It’s almost to be expected.

Orioles manager Brandon Hyde stressed those points when right-hander Grayson Rodriguez struggled during his initial 10-start stint this year. Now, Hyde is again making those statements in reference to outfielder Colton Cowser.

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On Monday, Baltimore optioned Cowser to Triple-A Norfolk to clear space on the 26-man roster for returning outfielder Aaron Hicks, who was reinstated from the injured list after missing nearly three weeks due to a left hamstring strain.

Cowser, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Orioles’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 14 overall prospect, had a slash line of .115/.286/.148 with two doubles and four RBIs in 26 games after getting called up July 5. He drew 13 walks but collected only seven hits over 77 plate appearances.

“It’s not always a terrible thing to have a guy come up here and experience what Major League pitching is like and what the big league life is like and understand how to go through adjustments when you go back down to Triple-A,” Hyde said. “We saw Grayson do that earlier this year; he came back a different guy. Colton’s going to be a really good Major League player.

“He got off to a pretty good start, and then he just kind of got caught in between a little bit in his at-bats. I just want him to go down there and free his mind up.”

Cowser, who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, may have been pressing a bit, as the 23-year-old tried to contribute for a Baltimore squad that has the best record in the American League. But he flashed his potential at times, such as when he knocked an RBI single in his big league debut at Yankee Stadium on July 5 and when he hit a go-ahead RBI double in the ninth inning of a 3-2 win in Philadelphia on July 24.

Infielder Jordan Westburg came up through the Minors with Cowser and saw the type of player he can be -- such as earlier this year in Triple-A, where Cowser slashed .330/.459/.537 with 21 extra-base hits (including 10 homers) and 40 RBIs in 56 games. Westburg strongly believes his friend can eventually produce at that level in the Majors.

“I’m very confident in that -- as long as he’s himself,” Westburg said. “I think, when he was up here, whether it was the stress or the success or whatever it may have been, I don’t think he was being himself. And that wears on you as a player. So I think if he goes down and is just himself and remains loose and remembers that he’s good enough to play at this level, I think he’ll be back up here helping the team in no time.”

MLB rosters expand from 26 players to 28 on Sept. 1. It’s possible Cowser could reappear during the Orioles’ pennant race, if he proves he’s ready for another opportunity.

For now, Cowser will take his experiences and the knowledge he learned from his first month-plus in a big league clubhouse back to Norfolk.

“It’s just about, for him, rebuilding that confidence again,” said Hicks, an 11-year MLB veteran. “I feel like when he got up here, he was being more passive, whereas I’d kind of want him to be more aggressive. He was walking, he was having great at-bats. But at the big league level, it just comes down to being aggressive.”