Orioles “infielder” Jimmy Paredes is in a very odd position right now. He is currently on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Norfolk after starting the season on the disabled list. His rehab assignment started 15 days ago on April 26th and position players are allotted 20 rehab games, so what is the plan?

Well, the Orioles could activate Paredes and put him on the 25 man roster but that would be very hard considering the number of expendable guys with options still left on the 25 man. The only feasible option would be to option Ryan Flaherty but with J.J. Hardy on the disabled list and Manny Machado playing short stop, Flaherty is the best option to play third base.

The Orioles could option Mike Wright but that would be foolish because it would leave 11 pitchers on the staff and only four reliable starting options and with T.J. McFarland already in the minor leagues, the Orioles need as many arms on the team as possible right now.

With virtually every position player contributing positively in some way or filling a need, it leaves out Paredes who is limited in what he is able to do on the field.

With a career statline of .257/.293/.369, 15 HR’s and a -1.3 WAR, Paredes’ time in Baltimore might be up.

This is truly unfortunate because for a good part of last season, Paredes was the best offensive threat the Orioles had. He also filled in at some important times during the 2014 postseason run with Manny Machado and Chris Davis not on the active roster at the time but as the game goes, you either play or you are gone.

The most realistic thing to do at this point would be to see what you could get for Paredes in a trade before just outright releasing him or taking a chance on him passing through waivers and not being taken by another team.

Personally, this would not be the biggest loss in the world for the Orioles. Considering the position players currently on the 40 man roster, I would rank Paredes last out of all of them. With a lackluster glove, inconsistent bat and no leeway with where he can be on the roster, I see no point in keeping him over a guy that could possibly offer more to the team in the case of calling somebody up to fill a needed spot.

If by the end of his rehab assignment he is somehow added to the 25 man roster, I will truly be shocked. The Orioles really are not hurting for a left handed bat considering guys like Pedro Alvarez and Hyun Soo Kim are on the roster and with the addition of Paul Janish to the 25 man, there is no need for an emergency infielder if any of the current starters were to go down.

For the Orioles, it comes down to this: waste a roster spot on a guy who does not deserve it, throw him out on the trade market and see what you catch, try and pass him through waivers to keep him in the organization or say goodbye completely and release him. Knowing the Orioles, all of these possibilities currently have the same chance of happening.

And for the record, Paredes so far in his rehab assignment has 18 hits in 56 at bats, giving him a .321 average in 15 games played with two home runs. Paredes is a career .302 hitter in Triple-A in 311 games.