Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan Mountcastle exited Friday's game against the Chicago White Sox with an apparent hamstring injury. It was later revealed that Orioles No. 2 prospect Coby Mayo was expected to be promoted to the big league club. On Saturday, the O's officially promoted Mayo and placed Mountcastle on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, per Roch Kubatko of masnsports.com.

“#orioles announce that Ryan Mountcastle goes on IL with right hamstring strain and Coby Mayo recalled from AAA Norfolk. DFA Chadwick Tromp. Select Jordyn Adams contract. Wearing No. 80,” Kubatko wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The O's need a boost. Despite defeating the White Sox 2-1 on Friday, Baltimore's 20-36 record has them sitting in last place in the American League East division. The Orioles are currently 15 games out of first place.

So can Coby Mayo make the difference and help the Orioles save their season?

Coby Mayo's potential impact on struggling Orioles

Mayo, 23, is the team's No. 2 overall prospect according to MLB.com. He made his big league debut in 2024 but was limited to 46 plate appearances. Mayo recorded a forgettable .098/.196/.098 slash line during that span.

In 13 MLB plate appearances this year, Mayo has not performed any better. It has been a limited sample size, but Mayo hit just .083/.154/.083 in 2025 before getting demoted.

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However, there is a reason Mayo is regarded as one of the better prospects in the sport.

Mayo is still developing as an all-around hitter, but he features elite power potential from the right side of the plate. A corner infielder capable of handling first or third base, Mayo features an electric throwing arm as well.

He doesn't run especially well and his overall defense is still a work-in-progress, but this is a player with the tools of a future star in MLB.

There are no guarantees that Coby Mayo will immediately figure things out after being promoted to the MLB team once again. With that being said, he now has an understanding of what to expect at the highest level of professional baseball. We can't predict that Mayo will absolutely finish the '25 campaign with All-Star numbers, but we do know that he should be more ready than ever for this step.

Mayo has an opportunity to cement himself as a true big league baseball player. If he performs well enough, Mayo may never have to play in the minor leagues again.

And perhaps he can give the Orioles the necessary boost to save their 2025 season.