The Baltimore Orioles revealed the plan for catcher Samuel Basallo
The Baltimore Orioles' catching duo has been the best in baseball this season, with Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo forming an unmatched tandem behind the plate.
Unfortunately, the Orioles have lost both players in the month of July. Rutschman went down with left wrist discomfort, marking his third stint on the injured list this season. He previously missed time dealing with a left ankle injury and a concussion.
Basallo joined him shortly after with right shoulder discomfort, his first time being sidelined on the injured list in 2026. He has dealt with minor injuries but none this severe.
Given where the Orioles are right now, fighting to keep their season alive and make the postseason, losing both catchers at the same time is a huge blow regardless of how long either player is out.
As for Basallo, he may be the one who returns last. Orioles manager Craig Albernaz revealed that Basallo has been shut down for the next few days to let his shoulder calm down, according to Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun.
The hope is that a few days is all Basallo needs before resuming baseball activities and hopefully avoiding a rehab assignment entirely. That is the best-case scenario, but if the soreness lingers there is a chance he could be out for weeks instead of days, which would be a serious problem for a team lacking talent behind the plate.
This year, Basallo has fully broken out. Baltimore signed him to a long-term extension last year, an eight-year, $67 million deal inked just days after his big-league debut, indicating how strongly the organization believes in him.
He has been paying that investment off immediately. Across 86 games before going down, the 21-year-old has posted a .241 batting average, .305 on-base percentage, .756 OPS, 16 home runs and 46 RBIs.
He has also been reliable behind the plate, frequently giving Rutschman days off and making the lineup a real force when sliding into the designated hitter spot.
With both Basallo and Rutschman out, the Orioles have turned to Sam Huff and Chadwick Tromp behind the plate, two journeymen who are clearly not the same formidable force this lineup needs.
Baltimore entered Sunday still sitting three games under .500, meaning the offense is going to have to pick up even more slack as the team tries to convince the front office to be buyers at this year's trade deadline.
