Catcher Samuel Basallo landed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, the Orioles announced. Outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez was recalled to take his spot on the roster. With Adley Rutschman also sidelined, Baltimore will roll with Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp behind the plate.
Basallo was removed after one at-bat on Sunday against the Astros. He was initially day-to-day with the injury, but will now have at least another week to recover. It’s a tough blow for a surging Baltimore squad that had won seven straight before a loss in Boston on Monday. The 21-year-old Basallo has been a steady contributor in the middle of the Orioles’ lineup. He’s posted a 108 wRC+ with 16 home runs in his first extended look as a big leaguer.
Rutschman was lost to wrist inflammation over the weekend. Baltimore has leaned on both backstops on a near-everyday basis. Basallo leads the team in plate appearances at DH. Rutschman has handled the bulk of the reps behind the plate, while also chipping in at designated hitter. The Orioles rank fourth in OPS at catcher.
Huff drew the start in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Red Sox. He’s been selected to the big-league squad three different times this season. Baltimore has designated him for assignment twice, but re-signed him to minor league deals afterward. Huff has a massive 37.7% strikeout rate in the majors, but he’s popped 12 homers in 302 plate appearances. It’s been a similar deal with Tromp. He joined the organization after a brief stint with the Braves. He was DFAed once already, but rejoined the roster when Rutschman went down. Tromp has a bit of pop, but also strikes out nearly 30% of the time.
The Huff/Tromp tandem is more of a patchwork situation while Baltimore waits out the injuries. It’s unclear how long Basallo and Rutschman will be out. The Orioles don’t have any other catchers on the 40-man roster.
Rodriguez came to the Orioles in a small trade with the Guardians shortly after Opening Day. He went hitless in five games during his first stretch with the big-league club back in April. Rodriguez failed to produce in parts of two seasons with the Guardians, but he’s always put up strong numbers at Triple-A. The outfielder has an .894 OPS in 314 career games at the highest minor league level. Rodriguez was slashing .270/.370/.391 with Norfolk before his call-up. He could factor into the DH mix that includes Dylan Beavers, Tyler O’Neill, and Coby Mayo. While he’s only played right field with Baltimore, Rodriguez has experience at all three outfield spots.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Kucin Jr., Imagn Images
