Showalter talks about the roster move

By Roch Kubatko

Orioles

August 09, 2010, 12:15pm

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Craig Tatum is back in the home clubhouse after going 2-for-21 at Triple-A Norfolk. He hit .271 in 32 games with the Orioles before they optioned him. "Tatum's been struggling a little offensively down there compared to what he was doing here," manager Buck Showalter said. "We thought we'd get him back to the big leagues so he could start hitting again." Tatum's arrival gives the Orioles a four-man bench. "It's a little more comforting," Showalter said. "You're always thinking the 'what ifs.' We had a couple situations already that we would have done different, but I knew where we were. We needed Troy (Patton), but it was time to get him out pitching again. And if we have to make an adjustment, we will." Though Tatum wasn't exactly raking at Norfolk, his presence allows Jake Fox to return to a super-utility role without the burden of being the backup catcher, which handcuffed Showalter at times. "That's the move as much as anything," Showalter said. "It gives us a chance for Jake to be Jake, instead of having to always hold him because of the catching thing. Let him bring his value, which is being able to play different places."