There comes a time in the lifespan of a prospect when he transforms into a real, live big leaguer.

It is the moment you scratch the lottery ticket, unwrap the present, drive the car off the lot.

Joey Ortiz donned a major league uniform in a regular-season game for the first time April 27. At that point, Ortiz was no longer just a nice story, an overachieving former fourth-round pick, a feather in the cap of the Orioles player development staff. He became a palpable, tangible player whose performance would affect the outcomes of games his team needed to win.

And, for all of the praise Mike Elias, Brandon Hyde and the Orioles decision-makers heaped on Ortiz over the last year, when it came time to win games, they went with someone else.

Ortiz always faced an uphill battle. He was the fourth member of his own team’s draft class to debut, after Adley Rutschman, Kyle Stowers and Gunnar Henderson. He doesn’t have the pedigree of Jackson Holliday or Connor Norby, nor the flashy power of Coby Mayo. The New Mexico State product has had to prove himself at every turn.

But, even as Ortiz enjoys a remarkably productive season at Triple-A Norfolk — hitting .328 with a .944 on-base-plus-slugging percentage entering Wednesday — and continues to climb in prospect rankings (No. 66 in MLB Pipeline’s latest) his path to playing time in Baltimore seems as murky as ever.

Make no mistake: Jordan Westburg is here to stay. The Orioles did not promote the 24-year-old because of an injury to another player; they just wanted him in Baltimore. They’ve also made their feelings for Westburg known by starting him in the infield in each of his first three big league games.

It’s impossible to know what, if anything, Ortiz could have done to leapfrog Westburg in the pecking order. He had seven hits in just 33 at-bats (.212) across two big league stints. But he is definitively behind the infielder affectionately dubbed “Westy.”

In all likelihood, the only reason Ortiz reached the bigs before Westburg was his preexisting spot on the 40-man roster; his promotion required less maneuvering than Westburg’s. If not for that, Ortiz might have yet to debut.

This crunch was always going to come. Elias & Co. spent year after year drafting and developing standout position players with incredible success. Until recently, Baltimore had avoided thinning its minor league glut through trades.

But now the Orioles are in the thick of a playoff hunt and they need pitching. Something’s gotta give.

A major injury to one of the O’s regular infielders would surely open a spot for Ortiz. And there’s always the possibility Ortiz’s opportunity for a starting gig will come in 2024, when second baseman Adam Frazier will hit free agency. But Holliday, now the No. 1 prospect in the sport, by that time could be knocking loudly at the door.

But at the moment Ortiz seems like the most likely trade candidate in the farm system.

This is the gambit Elias has been preparing himself to make: dealing from an area of strength to address a weakness. That doesn’t mean it won’t hurt to close the book on some of his homegrown success stories.

paul.mancano@thebaltimorebanner.com