TAMPA, Fla. — Every day, regardless of whether he’s playing in the field that night, Coby Mayo and third-base coach Buck Britton dig out a little red machine to work on his defense.

They call the machine, which is formally known as a Power Pro Heater, Big Red because of the power it produces even though it is small — it sends balls out up to 45 mph. It’s been around for ages and is used commonly as the first step in an infielder’s warmup routine. But Mayo puts more importance on it. He’s used it since he got promoted to Triple-A in 2023, and it’s playing a key role while he learns first base as he aims to solidify his role as a major leaguer.

Mayo starts with forehand work, just aiming to get the ball in the pocket of his glove. He’ll move on to the side and stretch out his forearm before ending with backhand work and drop steps to get his head moving and the glove behind the ball.

They use little foam balls that come out of Big Red quickly, adding to the difficulty. Mayo said they want to make the drills harder than game action so, when he gets in the game, it’ll feel easier and he’ll be prepared.

“Obviously its a tough machine because it’s light balls and it’s coming out firm,” Mayo said. “It kind of skips and hops. It skips off the dirt pretty quick or off first pretty quick, and it’s obviously a little inconsistent too. You can get it kind of to the speed you want, to the location you want, and it’s just good to work on your hands.”

First base is still new to him — he’s played fewer than 100 games there across the majors and minors — but he’s getting an extended look with Ryan Mountcastle on the injured list until at least August with a hamstring strain.

Primarily a third baseman coming up, Mayo is focusing on first base because the Orioles hope it will simplify things mentally for him. It’s easier, Mayo said, to show up at the stadium and know there are only two possibilities for him: first base or designated hitter.

At 6 feet 4 and 230 pounds, Mayo has never found moving fluidly and athletically on defense easy. But this machine — and focusing on one defensive position — is helping him ease into the new spot.

“The hardest part for Coby is he’s so big, right?” Britton said. “A lot of those guys, it’s tough to get your body low into those positions necessary to make plays. I think as he’s matured physically he’s kind of learned his body a little bit and the strides he’s made. ... He’s willing to go out there and willing to do the work. I think, now that he’s settled in to first base is kind of the priority spot right now, you’re seeing bigger jumps defensively.”

The Orioles are confident Mayo will only continue to improve, because, well, they’ve been through this before. Mountcastle too was a bit of a defensive nomad whose size made him awkward on the field. With the help of interim manager Tony Mansolino, who was previously the infield coordinator, Mountcastle not only learned first base while in the majors but developed into one of the best in the league.

It wasn’t always pretty, but he’s a two-time Gold Glove finalist.

Mansolino sees a lot of similarities between the two, and it’s a comparison he’s made to Mayo.

“When I think of a good first baseman, obviously the ball on the ground is important, but probably one of the more underlooked attributes to a good first baseman is the wingspan and with length off the bag,” Mansolino said. “Infielders throw wild throws all the time, so having the ability to be really tall or really long towards down the line or up the line to catch kind of errant throws that are catchable. It’s a huge trait that Mounty has that we see Coby having as well.”

Mayo doesn’t play every day, something Mansolino said is tactical as they develop him. But he’s putting in the work every day. On Wednesday, when temperatures were in the upper 90s, Mayo was one of the few players on the field pregame.

“We have a really good thing going right now,” Mayo said. “I think I’m playing pretty decent right now at first, and you know [John] Mabry and Manso and Buck, Grant [Anders] and Robbie [Chirinos], we’re all doing a lot over there just to stay consistent and keep the rep count high to just try to work as hard as I can so when I get out there I can be as prepared as I can be.”