Jorge Mateo has always been a player who is easy to dream on. He’s athletic and fast and a defensive whiz. When he gets on base, fun things happen. His offense has never really come together, but he has had enough hot stretches that you can just imagine the player he could be. At the very worst, he is a weapon off the bench as a baserunner or a defensive replacement.

In 2022, Mateo had his best year. He led the league in stolen bases despite an OBP of just .267. His prowess on the basepaths and defensive excellence at shortstop resulted in a 3.7 bWAR. He followed with a less impressive 2023, but still managed to swipe 32 bases in just 116 games.

Things started looking good again for Mateo in 2024. He was mainly stationed at second base when Jackson Holliday’s first try at the majors didn’t go so well. He especially thrived against left-handed pitching, something that carried over from the previous year. He remained OBP-challenged, but had a bit of a power boost that made his hitting line respectable. Things were going pretty well for him.

But things took a bad turn for Mateo when he first got concussed in early June, then had his season ended in late July when he and Gunnar Henderson collided on a defensive play. Mateo needed Tommy John surgery and his season was over.

Last January, the Orioles signed Jorge Mateo to a $3.5 million contract to avoid arbitration for 2025 and added a $5.5 million club option for 2026. His playing time was uncertain with Holliday being the presumptive second baseman, but he could serve at worst as a utility player in the infield. And for some reason, the Orioles like to pretend Mateo is capable of playing center field. So that was also an option for him.

There is no harm in a club option, but you have to think the Orioles were hoping for more from 2025 when they even considered it. Because things went pretty darn bad for Mateo. He started the season in a utility role, alternating between starting and coming in off the bench late in the game. Based on his splits from the last few seasons, he got plenty of chances against lefty pitchers.

The problem was, Mateo didn’t hit anyone. Not lefties, not righties. He’d never been a good hitter, but things took a downturn from his norm. And when your norm is an OBP of .267, that’s bad. For the season, Mateo hit just .177/.217/.266. It was only 42 games thanks to injury, but they were 42 ugly games. He did keep up his base stealing numbers, somehow having more steals (15) than hits (14).

In early June, Mateo went on the injured list with elbow inflammation. He rested that for about a month, then began a rehab stint in the minors. Almost immediately upon starting, he injured his hamstring. That kept him out until September 5th. He had just 19 plate appearances over the season’s final three weeks and didn’t show any kind of improvement offensively.

It seems almost a certainty that the Orioles will not pick up Mateo’s option for next year, and he will become a free agent. Maybe the Orioles will try to bring him back, but I don’t see it happening. They are awash in infielders, multiple of whom can play shortstop. Mateo doesn’t have to be better than Jordan Westburg, Holliday, or Henderson to make the team as a bench player, but the Orioles have other options that provide a better fit without losing much other than baserunning.

Jeremiah Jackson emerged from seemingly nowhere to provide value off the bench, and with multiple regulars who can spell Henderson at shortstop if needed, it makes Mateo a low priority.

I like Jorge Mateo. Like I said, he is an easy player to root for, and watching him run the bases is a joy. I wouldn’t mind if the Orioles did bring him back for the role of pinch runner and defensive replacement. The Orioles certainly have bigger problems to solve in the offseason than who will fill that particular role.

But Mateo has now struggled with injury for two straight seasons and could not sustain any offensive success when he did get playing time this season. Moving on might be the right call. Some other team will give him a chance, you can be certain.