Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Resting for season finale
Rotowire
Basallo is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Basallo will be rested for the season finale after he made starts at catcher and designated hitter in the first two contests of the series, going 0-for-7 with five strikeouts. Unless he's called upon off the bench Sunday, Basallo will finish out the 2025 campaign with a .165/.229/.330 slash line to go with four home runs, 15 RBI and 10 runs across 31 games with the Orioles. Despite a rough showing in his first big-league stint, Basallo is locked in as a cornerstone piece for Baltimore after inking an eight-year, $67 million contract with the club in August.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Starting Friday
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Basallo (hand) will DH and bat eighth during Friday's game against the Yankees, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Basallo left Wednesday's game after being hit in the right hand by a pitch. X-rays on his hand came back negative, and after a one-game absence, Basallo has returned to the starting nine. The 21-year-old is slashing .176/.243/.353 in 111 big-league plate appearances this season.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Aiming to return Friday
Rotowire
Basallo (hand) is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Rays but hopes to return to action Friday against the Yankees, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Basallo had to depart Wednesday's game after being hit on the right hand by a pitch, but X-rays came back clean and he's feeling better Thursday. The rookie will hope to return to the lineup after one day of rest.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Getting X-rays on hand
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Basallo was removed from Wednesday's game against the Rays after getting hit on the right hand by a pitch, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino said after the game that Basallo will receive an X-ray on his hand, which will help determine the severity of the backstop's injury. Should the 21-year-old need to miss any amount of time, Ryan Mountcastle would stand to benefit from extra reps as Baltimore's designated hitter.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Exits Saturday with hand injury
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Basallo departed Saturday's game against the Dodgers due to right-hand discomfort, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Basallo was hurt in the fifth inning when he was hit in the right hand by a foul tip. The rookie catcher originally tried to remain in the game, but he sailed a practice throw into center field and was subsequently lifted. Alex Jackson replaced Basallo behind the plate Saturday and would presumably be in line to start if Basallo needs to miss time, as Adley Rutschman (oblique) and Gary Sanchez (knee) are both on the injured list.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Walks it off Friday
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Basallo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Friday's 2-1 win over the Dodgers.
The rookie swatted his second career homer and his first at home in Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and he made it count -- with the score tied 1-1 and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Basallo crushed a Tanner Scott fastball 433 feet over the fence in right-center field. The 21-year-old is still adjusting to big-league pitching, but his upside is undeniable, and through his first 15 games with the O's he's slashing .204/.271/.389 with four doubles, nine RBI and a 4:13 BB:K.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Receiving rest Wednesday
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Basallo is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
The Orioles are wrapping up their series in San Diego with a day game, so Basallo will receive a break after he had started at catcher or designated hitter in each of the previous four contests. Alex Jackson will step in behind the plate Wednesday, while Ryan Mountcastle serves as Baltimore's DH.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Slugs first big-league homer
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Basallo went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional run and a walk Saturday in an 11-1 victory versus San Francisco.
Basallo achieved a personal milestone when he swatted a 376-foot shot in the fourth inning for his first major-league homer. The long ball also snapped a seven-game stretch without an RBI for the rookie backstop. Basallo hasn't exactly hit the ground running since being called up Aug. 17, but he's at least been moderately productive with six RBI through 11 games while striking out a tolerable seven times in 42 plate appearances.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: On bench Friday
Rotowire
Basallo is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Astros, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Basallo inked an eight-year extension with the Orioles earlier Friday, and he'll get the night off to rest after what interim manager Tony Mansolino called a "rigorous" medical examination leading up to the extension. The 21-year-old had started in three of four games since being called up from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, and he should be a near-everyday player going forward.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Drives in pair of runs
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Basallo went 2-for-5 with a two-run double and a run scored in Monday's 6-3 victory over Boston.
Basallo has made his presence felt right away at the big-league level, driving in two runs in each of his first two games and notching his first extra-base hit Monday. The top prospect drew the start behind the plate in the contest, and while Adley Rutschman's presence means he won't hold that role on a full-time basis, Basallo should still find regular at-bats at first base or designated hitter when he isn't catching.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Moves up to big leagues
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The Orioles selected Basallo's contract from Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday. He'll start at designated hitter and bat sixth in his MLB debut.
Widely regarded as one of the top prospects in baseball, Basallo will make the leap to the big leagues after slashing .270/.377/.589 with 23 home runs, a 14 percent walk rate and a 23.7 percent strikeout rate over 321 plate appearances at Triple-A. Though he's mainly served as a catcher in the minors, the 21-year-old will likely see most of his playing time at either first base or designated hitter, while Adley Rutschman continues to handle the bulk of the starts behind the plate. Assuming he settles into a near-everyday role, Basallo is worth rostering in the majority of fantasy leagues for managers in need of an infusion of power.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Set to resume hitting
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Basallo (oblique) is scheduled to resume a hitting progression Tuesday with the aim of returning to action for Triple-A Norfolk as soon as this weekend, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Basallo hasn't played since July 13 due to the right oblique injury, but Norfolk has thus far resisted placing him on its injured list. Assuming Basallo incurs no setbacks while he advances through his hitting progression over the next few days, he could rejoin the Triple-A lineup by the weekend, though Norfolk may initially prefer to use the 20-year-old backstop as a designated hitter coming off the injury. Despite being slowed by multiple injury concerns this season, Basallo has been productive when available for Norfolk, slashing .264/.383/.591 with 19 home runs across 253 plate appearances.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Mashing as youngest Triple-A hitter
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Basallo is slashing .244/.360/.578 with 13 home runs, a 14.9 percent walk rate and a 24.8 percent strikeout rate in 40 games for Triple-A Norfolk.
Basallo is the youngest hitter at Triple-A, as he doesn't turn 21 until August, yet he is one of the best power hitters at the level. Among Triple-A hitters with at least 150 plate appearances, Basallo's .333 ISO ranks second behind 34-year-old Carlos Perez. He isn't on the 40-man roster yet, but Basallo appears ready for the next level, at least offensively.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Back as DH by late April
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Orioles general manager Mike Elias said Tuesday that Basallo (hamstring/elbow) could be ready to serve as a designated hitter with Triple-A Norfolk within a couple weeks, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
He would then be ready to resume catching sometime in May. Basallo is sidelined by a mild left hamstring strain and also has some right elbow inflammation. The top prospect put up an .868 OPS with a pair of home runs in his first seven contests with Norfolk before going on the 7-day injured list.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Lands on IL
Rotowire
Triple-A Norfolk placed Basallo (hamstring) on its 7-day injured list Saturday.
Norfolk deactivated Basallo one day after he was removed from a game due to left hamstring discomfort. The severity of Basallo's injury isn't yet known, but the catching prospect will need at least a week off to move past the issue. Basallo had already been slowed down in spring training after suffering from elbow inflammation, which had resulted in him being limited to designated-hitter duties over his first seven games this season with Norfolk.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Injures hamstring
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Basallo was removed from Friday's game with left hamstring discomfort, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Basallo has battled an elbow issue since late in spring training, which limited him to DH duties to start the year with Triple-A Norfolk. The severity of the hamstring issue is unclear, but it's been a bumpy start to the season for Basallo.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Slow start at Triple-A
Rotowire
Basallo (elbow) has appeared in four games for Triple-A Norfolk so far this season, batting 2-for-12 with a solo home run and a walk.
Basallo has been limited to designated-hitter duties while he recovers from elbow inflammation, but the fact that he avoided a stint on the injured list to begin the season suggests he could be ready to resume catching duties in the coming weeks. The 20-year-old has returned to Norfolk after struggling in his first exposure to the International League late in the 2024 season, when he slashed .222/.267/.370 over 86 plate appearances following his promotion from Double-A Bowie.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Dealing with elbow inflammation
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Basallo has elbow inflammation and is expected to serve as a designated hitter for the first few weeks of Triple-A Norfolk's season, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
It appears the 20-year-old will be able to hit in spite of the injury, but he won't be working behind the plate at the start of the campaign. Basallo is the organization's top prospect and could push to make his MLB debut in 2025, assuming the elbow issue doesn't prove to be a significant concern.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Back in action at Double-A
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Basallo has gone 4-for-13 over three games for Double-A Bowie since returning from a minor ankle injury.
Basallo has also gone 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts in that span, which is further proof the ankle injury is not a long-term concern. The catching prospect is batting .280 with a .782 OPS through 61 contests this season, and even at 19 years old, he could be in consideration for a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk at some point this summer.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Shakes off thumb injury
Rotowire
Basallo (thumb) has gone 4-for-12 with a home run and four RBI over three games since returning from a thumb injury.
Basallo was removed from Tuesday's game versus Double-A Richmond, but he only ended up missing Wednesday's contest before returning to the lineup. The catcher has battled through a few issues this season, but he's still managed a good .263/.301/.429 slash line with seven homers, 19 RBI, 20 runs scored and two stolen bases over 40 games with Double-A Bowie as a 19-year-old.
