The Orioles just had to send Kevin Gausman to the Gulf Coast League to get an extra four days worth of Norfolk infielder Jimmy Paredes. That's who they called up Thursday afternoon to fill the spot vacated by optioning Gausman.
What good does it do to have Paredes on the team? A switch-hitter, he does perhaps provide more of an option off of the bench, assuming he is capable at all of hitting from either side of the plate, which he has not exactly demonstrated in limited action scattered across four big league seasons. At the big league level, Paredes - pronounced puh-RAY-diss - has appeared at both right field and third base.
Paredes played mostly third for Norfolk this season, batting .258/.286/.394 in 32 games after he was acquired from the Royals on July 24. He has changed teams four times in the last calendar year, including a brief swing through the Orioles roster for two days in February. Dan Duquette got his man after all and the 25-year-old Paredes will be on the Orioles bench to do... I don't know. Things? Late-inning replacement for Chris Davis at third base? Pinch runner in the non-David Lough category? Let's go with that.
He is the 17th player to appear on both the Tides and the Orioles roster this season. Duquette really can't help himself.