Orioles Facing Troubling Development After Samuel Basallo News

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Orioles Facing Troubling Development After Samuel Basallo News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Tate Mosher | Last updated Jul 21, 2026 4:55 PM ET

The Baltimore Orioles have not had the year they wanted coming into the 2026 MLB season. Right now they are 49-52, fourth place in the American League East. That has them nine games behind the Tampa Bay Rays and three games behind the last Wild Card spot.

The team recently went on a seven-game win streak, climbing from 42-51 to 49-51. However, the streak was just broken as they lost Monday to the scorching hot Boston Red Sox. Baltimore might have a tough stretch coming up with all their catching injuries.

Adley Rutschman was just placed on the 10-day injured list on Monday with left wrist inflammation. On Sunday, Samuel Basallo left the game with right shoulder discomfort, reaggravating a previous injury.

It is currently uncertain whether or not Basallo will need an IL stint. If that is the case, him and Rutschman will not be back until the start of August at the earliest.

Both catchers have an OPS of at least .750 this season, Basallo at .755 and Rutschman at .764. Having two catchers that hit is something not a lot of teams can boast.

With both of them absent for the moment, the Orioles are looking at a bleak catching situation. For Tuesday’s game at the Red Sox, they have Chadwick Tromp doing the catching and hitting ninth.

How we're lining up for Game 2 vs. the Red Sox.

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The options for now are Tromp and fellow journeyman Sam Huff. Both are serviceable defensively, but do not offer much at the plate. Across 60 combined plate appearances this season, the two have struck out 24 times and mustered only 11 hits.

When Rutschman and Basallo are healthy, one is at catcher and one at designated hitter . It seems as though infielder Coby Mayo will DH for the foreseeable future. In 78 games this season, Mayo is hitting .196 with a .664 OPS. He has 13 home runs and 35 RBIs.

Baltimore needs their catching tandem to come back as soon as possible if they want their playoff hopes to remain afloat. They will try to snap Boston’s 14-game win streak Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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