SARASOTA, Fla. — Coby Mayo, unlike many players, was honest.

Shortly after he was informed by Baltimore’s brass that he wasn’t making the Orioles’ opening day roster, Mayo spoke to reporters after cleaning out his locker. He was clearly disappointed, and he was candid about not being excited to go back to Triple-A Norfolk.

What’s wrong with that?

Of course Mayo doesn’t want to be back in Triple-A, a level he’s thoroughly dominated the past two seasons. The 23-year-old top prospect described going back to Norfolk as a “lose-lose” situation since he’s already proved his bona fides at that level, meaning it will only matter if he fails.

There’s some truth in Mayo’s comment, and it’s probably a mindset he won’t carry with him into the season. But he was disappointed about his situation, and he was honest.

“It obviously sucks because you feel like you’ve proved everything you’ve needed to [in Triple-A],” Mayo said. “Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s quite enough.”

In a vacuum, Mayo being optioned Tuesday and beginning the year in Norfolk is perhaps unfair. That’s not to say he’s fully developed, but he is legitimately too good for Triple-A. In 151 games in Norfolk, Mayo has posted an impressive .919 OPS. If he were with some other organizations, he’d likely be given a shot to play regularly in the big leagues this season.

However, just because it’s valid for Mayo to briefly feel disappointed, that doesn’t make the decision wrong. The Orioles have one of baseball’s best offenses along with one of MLB’s deepest position player groups. Mayo is behind Jordan Westburg and Ramón Urías at third base and Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn at first base, and the Orioles aren’t going to put Mayo on the roster to ride the bench.

“That’s what happens when you have good teams. Good teams option players that they like,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “We still feel like there’s things he can work on, but we’re sensitive to the fact that going to Triple-A isn’t what anybody wants to do. But it’s part of the game.”

Mayo is far from a perfect player, and he’d be the first to admit that. When he said being optioned was difficult because he believes he’s “proved everything” he’s needed to, he was referring to his performance at Triple-A, not in the major leagues or during spring training.

But the Orioles, at this point, probably don’t care too much about Mayo’s stat line at Triple-A. They’re more focused on him becoming the type of hitter and defender who can excel once he does arrive back in the big leagues.

“I think for most young players,” Hyde said when asked for Mayo’s marching orders in Triple-A, “strike zone awareness, continuing to develop the ability to manage the strike zone. Defensively, also, at both spots, continuing to approve. The game’s fast up here. More reps at Triple-A, we feel like that’s what he needs right now.”

More reps at Triple-A might not be fair, but this isn’t the first time an Orioles prospect has been through this. Kyle Stowers homered at Ruthian rates during his 243 games in Norfolk. All Connor Norby did in his 227 games down there was hit. Those prospects didn’t have clear paths to playing time in Baltimore, and they were eventually traded to Miami and are now in the majors. Westburg played 161 games in Triple-A before his debut, but he was never sent down because he was one of the rare Orioles prospects to play well right away.

Mayo’s odds of making the opening day roster were always slim. To do so, he needed at least one injury (maybe two) to another player and to play well throughout camp, but that didn’t happen. He opened spring 1-for-23 at the plate, at times looking the way he did after his debut in August. Mayo started his career 1-for-17 with 10 strikeouts in 20 plate appearances and was optioned back to Triple-A after less than two weeks in the majors.

But Mayo bounced back at the end of spring training with hits in seven of his final 19 at-bats, including three doubles and a few scorching line drives.

“I thought he just relaxed and was playing the game a little easier the last week,” Hyde said. “It looked like he was having a little bit more fun out there. I know that he was pressing early, and that’s really common with young players coming into camp. But I thought the last week, the at-bats were much better.”

Mayo’s season in Triple-A begins March 28, the day after the Orioles open up at Toronto. If he wants to join them sometime this season, potentially as the next man up if an injury occurs, Mayo has no choice but to play well enough to force the organization’s hand.

That’s why Hyde doesn’t mind young players feeling dismayed by spending what they feel is too much time in Triple-A. He knows that type of mindset, if harnessed properly, is what can make great big leaguers.

“I don’t mind guys — I want guys to have confidence, for sure,” Hyde said. “It’s tough to play at this level when you don’t have big-time confidence. I want guys to take it the right way. I want guys to try to prove they should be in the big leagues by putting up performance as well as working on the things we think they need to work on.”

While it might feel like a “lose-lose” situation, Mayo’s only way out of Norfolk is to keep dominating there.

Have a news tip? Contact Jacob Calvin Meyer at jameyer@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/JCalvinMeyer.