Samuel on Atkins getting designated for assignment

The Orioles have activated Koji Uehara and to make roster room Garrett Atkins has been designated for assignment, ending his tenure with the club. Here is what interim manager Juan Samuel said about Atkins removal from the roster. "The decision was made a few minutes ago to designate Atkins for assignment with Koji coming off the DL and the possibility of Felix Pie and other guys arriving here soon. "Unfortunately things didn't work out for him here. It was getting kind of tough to get Atkins at bats. He got an opportunity early in the season and we just wish him luck. Sometimes these things help these players. This probably opens some at bats for Jake Fox. "It's always difficut to give that news to anyone. He understands and said he was sorry things didn't work out for him and he couldn't do more to help us. He's a veteran and he understands." Samuel was asked if he was surprised Atkins could never get it going at bat. "I didn't really get a chance to see him in the National League. I know he has hit homers in the past, but we just didn't get the power production which limited his at bats. "He understood why he wasn't playing. He's a great guy and was a professional throughout this process." Samuel admitted adding Koji was necessary today in part because of some recent short outings by O's starters. Samuel objected to my question about whether the O's considered dropping Atkins earlier, and didn't like it when I said his being here and not playing in effect was a "waste of a roster spot." I didn't mean any disrespect at all to Atkins, just that it seemed the O's could have carried someone on the roster who would play more. "It's not a wasted roster spot. You have to respect that player. Who would you suggest that could play more?" I suggested maybe Jeff Salazar from Triple-A. "We didn't think that way. He was here and we were trying to get him some at bats. I was probably the one most troubled with the situation because I trust all those guys in there. I expressed to him a few times to hang in there and I'll try to get you at bats. But the situation just didn't progress itself to where we could get him some at bats."