BALTIMORE -- A late rule change with regards to Arizona Fall League participation gave the Orioles an unexpected chance to get their eyes on one of their prime blue-chippers Saturday, when the club promoted Austin Hays to the Majors. But similar maneuvers are not on the horizon for two other top prospects, whose first big league chances remain pegged for some time in the future.

Orioles general manager and executive vice president Mike Elias confirmed as much Saturday, when, speaking publicly for the first time this month, he outlined the club’s reasoning for holding back Ryan Mountcastle and Keegan Akin until at least 2020.

Mountcastle, the club’s No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, provided perhaps its toughest September decision given the banner first season he enjoyed at Triple-A Norfolk. Mountcastle, 22, won the International League’s Most Valuable Player Award by hitting .312 with 25 home runs and a .871 OPS in his first crack at the level. His 130-24 strikeout-to-walk-rate, though, provided the club room for pause.

“There is a lot of rationale behind it,” Elias said. “We still think he’s developing. We’re thrilled with the season he had offensively. If there is something to nitpick, it’s his plate discipline. He knows that. He’s not a big walker and he’s still striking out a little bit. But that’s not to put a damper on what he did at age 22 in Triple-A. He’s also still doing some work on his defensive home. Long story short, I think he’s still going to spend some time in the Minor Leagues as a result of those two things.”

Elias also cited the obvious logjam squeezing Mountcastle onto the big league roster would present, given the Orioles are flooded with bat-first corner types of his ilk. Count them: Anthony Santander, Renato Nunez, DJ Stewart and Dwight Smith Jr. all qualify as young options the club wants to give extended looks at this month. Trey Mancini remains a priority, with Chris Davis and Mark Trumbo on the roster as well.

Elias said the Orioles will continue to work Mountcastle, a converted shortstop and third baseman, at both first base and left field going forward. Mountcastle played those positions almost exclusively in 2019.

“I didn’t see the avenue to call up Ryan at this time, but he’s going to be here and be a big part of our future at some point,” Elias said. “We have a lot of players who play the same positions as he does who need to hit too. With us not being in a hurry to graduate Ryan, and the fact that we need to continue to see what we get from these guys, it is a factor. I think it’s nice we’re in a position where we don’t have to rush him up. The degree to which we can prioritize development over Major League need, we’re going to lean that way. It’s part of the equation.”

Akin, the No. 11 prospect, won the International League strikeout title despite an uneven first season at Triple-A, where he pitched to a 4.73 ERA and posted an alarming 4.9 walks per nine innings rate.

“These guys are big prospects,” Elias said. “If need be, could they come to the big leagues? Yeah. But they’re not fully finished with their development. It’s walk rate in a lot of cases. He had a nice full season, and he will be in a very strong position to compete for a rotation spot next year.”

Around the horn

• Elias also said he won’t be promoting Cedric Mullins, calling Mullins’ fall from Opening Day center fielder to Double-A Bowie “not something I ever would’ve dreamt or would’ve wanted to see.” Mullins hit .094 over his first 22 games in the Majors this season, then .205 in 66 games at Triple-A Norfolk before landing at Bowie.

The numbers improved there -- .271 average, five homers and 20 steals in 51 games -- but not enough for Elias to avoid calling 2019 “a lost season” for the 24-year-old. Elias said the Orioles plan to put together an offseason program for Mullins to outline mechanical adjustments they hope he makes to his swing.

• Elias said he doesn’t plan to have DL Hall pitch competitively this winter, but he expects the Orioles’ No. 3 prospect to have “a normal offseason in terms of throwing.” Hall, 20, made strides in his first season at Class A Advanced Frederick before he was shut down in mid-August due to a left lat strain. He has not resumed throwing yet due to the injury, which Elias said would’ve sidelined Hall for about a month had it come earlier in the year.

Orioles stand up to cancer

By wearing gold ribbon decals and wristbands Saturday, the Orioles participated in Major League Baseball’s fourth consecutive “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” in an effort to raise awareness for the leading cause of death by disease among children in the United States and Canada.

In tandem with the initiative, the Orioles also made a $2,500 donation to and hosted members of the Cool Kids Campaign Foundation, Inc., for Saturday’s game. Earlier in the week, Chris Davis and the Oriole Bird visited University of Maryland Children’s Hospital to distribute gowns to pediatric oncology patients in conjunction with the Starlight Children’s Foundation.