The return of Orioles All-Star catcher Matt Wieters from two days on the paternity list for the birth of his second son, Micah, came with an interesting counter move for the Orioles.
Caleb Joseph, who has served as the team's second catcher and been a reliable starter at times over the last three seasons, was optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, leaving Francisco Pena as Wieters' backup.
Manager Buck Showalter said Joseph would return Sept. 1 when rosters expand and the 10 required days for Joseph to spend on his minor league assignment are up. Showalter said time in the minors will be an asset for Joseph, who is batting .193 without a home run or an RBI in 121 plate appearances this season.
"[Joseph] would rather not [be sent to the minors], obviously, but I think it benefits us and him, not only 10 days from now but in the future, too," Showalter said. "There's a lot of variables, but it was an opportunity that we had to get him some consistent at-bats, and some of the things he's been working on getting back to — this guy's got a pretty good track record offensively behind him.
"He's a better hitter than he's shown here. I think sometimes, it gets kind of mentally and emotionally in there. We all know that Caleb's driven in some big runs for us. He's been a nice guy to have down the bottom of the order, because if you relax on him, he's a guy you'd like to see coming up with people on base. We've just got to get back to that — how do you do it? Sitting around and playing once every 10 days? It doesn't work too good."
Joseph's frustration boiled over Saturday in his most recent start, when he popped up with two runners on and slammed his bat on the ground then broke it over his knee on the way back to the dugout.
He's been an impressive defensive catcher throughout the season, missing time with a testicular injury suffered on May 31 but returning to the Orioles bench roughly a month later.
"He's a very driven guy, a very competitive, smart, good catcher," Showalter said. "I think it's more something that we've been thinking about, how do we get him back a little bit, I think mentally. I like Caleb a lot. A very good catcher, very good teammate. He's a winning player, and we have an opportunity here that we may not have to give him 30 at-bats, maybe, before he comes back."
In Norfolk, Joseph will get to play with his brother, Corban, an infielder for the Tides. Pena remains to back up Wieters, having collected a hit in Sunday's loss to the Houston Astros. He is batting .222 with a home run and three RBIs in 11 games this year.
Wieters' wife, Maria, gave birth to their second son Saturday night, he said.
He was alotted three days on the paternity list, but took two before returning Saturday.
"It's nice to be back with the guys and get back to playing baseball," Wieters said. "It makes you appreciate your wife and women a lot more, but it also makes you appreciate being in the locker room and being around the guys."
Showalter had indicated this was the plan for Wieters all along, to return Monday. Wieters said he was never married to that plan, as births can follow their own timeline, but he was happy with how things worked out.
"I tried not to draw it up, because it's not always our plans, as how it's going to go anyway," Wieters said. "But it's nice that I was able to be home and kind of maximize as much time with the new little guy before having to go on the road."