The Orioles announced that they have claimed catcher Yohel Pozo off waivers from the Cardinals and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. St Louis designated Pozo for assignment last week. To open a 40-man spot for Pozo, Baltimore has designated outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez for assignment.
Pozo, 29, has been a depth catcher for the Cardinals recently. He logged over 300 innings behind the plate for the Cards last year and a few more this year. His defense has generally been regarded as solid in that time. His offense is more questionable. He had a tepid .233/.259/.358 line during his time with the Cardinals. He has hit more in the minors, with a .316/.340/.521 line at Triple-A from 2022 to 2025, but this year’s .229/.256/.386 line is much softer.
St. Louis has enviable catching depth, so Pozo got squeezed off the roster. Baltimore, on the other hand, has been hemorrhaging catchers recently. Adley Rutschman hit the injured list three days ago due to left wrist inflammation. Yesterday, Samuel Basallo hit the IL due to right shoulder inflammation. Rutschman and Basallo have split most of the catching duties in Baltimore this year. With the club suddenly without both poles of their catching magnet, they have called up Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp.
For now, Huff and Tromp are still on the big league roster. Pozo still has a full slate of options. He can head to Norfolk and be ready for a call-up if either Huff or Tromp get injured, or perhaps the club will just decide to make a change. Both Huff and Tromp are out of options. Once Rutschman and Basallo get healthy, the other two could be pushed off the roster and onto the waiver wire. If they lose either or both to other clubs, Pozo could stick around in his depth role.
To add that catching depth, the Orioles are potentially sacrificing some outfield depth. Rodríguez, 26, was acquired from the Guardians in March. Since then, he has been an up-and-down outfielder for the O’s, getting shuttled between the big leagues and Triple-A Norfolk. He has a .182/.333/.273 line this year and a .177/.288/.301 line in his career.
He has far better numbers in the minors, with a massive .295/.386/.508 line in his Triple-A career. Scouting reports from Baseball America have suggested this disparity is due to Rodríguez crushing fastballs but struggling with spin. If opposing clubs are aware of this, they just feed him breaking stuff and watch him flail.
He will likely be on waivers in the coming days. Another club could take a shot on him and stash him in the minors for now. However, he is in his final option season and will be out of options in 2027.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images
