The Baltimore Orioles find themselves extremely short-handed on Monday, as both starting catchers have been given the night off.
As the O's return home to kick off a homestand against the Seattle Mariners, Samuel Basallo is notably absent from the team's lineup. On Monday, manager Craig Albernaz revealed that Basallo is dealing with a "bony growth" on his wrist and is being given the night off after sustaining a couple of other minor injuries in recent games.
Regarding the bony growth, Albernaz says it is something Basallo has always had and is learning to live with. The ailment seems to bother Basallo when he plays, but the team does not believe surgery or an extended absence is necessary for the young catcher. Basallo is in his first year of an eight-year, $67 million contract extension he signed last August that runs through 2033.
The 21-year-old catcher was shaken up in Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays when he was involved in a collision at home plate with Andres Gimenez. The slugger came up holding his left wrist and was taken out of the game by a pinch-hitter at the top of the eighth inning. Basallo was also removed from the game on June 5th with abdominal discomfort, although he came in as a pinch-hitter the next day.
Basallo's absence from the lineup is made even more glaring by Adley Rutschman's absence as well. Rutschman is coming off a stretch of eleven consecutive games as either the catcher or DH for the team, so a night off is very much deserved. This means that the Orioles will be starting third-string catcher Sam Huff behind the plate on Monday after he was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk over the weekend.
It appears that at this time, the Orioles are not overly concerned with Basallo's injuries, but are opting to give him a couple of days of rest to heal up. In 54 games this season, Basallo has slashed .267/.332/.483 with a .815 OPS, nine home runs and 26 RBI. With Huff on the roster, the Orioles can afford to give Basallo a few days off this week without putting him on the IL. The Orioles are at home for a four-game set against the Mariners, and stay at home to take on the San Diego Padres this weekend.
