The Orioles promoted Basallo from Double-A Bowie to Triple-A Norfolk on Sunday, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
The 20-year-old is one of the top prospects in baseball and will now make his way to the highest level of the minors. Basallo appeared in 104 games for Bowie this season and posted a .285/.353/.455 slash line with 15 home runs and nine steals. Adley Rutschman is locked in as Baltimore's backstop of the present and future, but Basallo should still have a chance to make his major-league debut in 2025, assuming he's able to handle Triple-A pitching.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Back in action at Double-A
Rotowire
Basallo has gone 4-for-13 over three games for Double-A Bowie since returning from a minor ankle injury.
Basallo has also gone 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts in that span, which is further proof the ankle injury is not a long-term concern. The catching prospect is batting .280 with a .782 OPS through 61 contests this season, and even at 19 years old, he could be in consideration for a promotion to Triple-A Norfolk at some point this summer.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Shakes off thumb injury
Rotowire
Basallo (thumb) has gone 4-for-12 with a home run and four RBI over three games since returning from a thumb injury.
Basallo was removed from Tuesday's game versus Double-A Richmond, but he only ended up missing Wednesday's contest before returning to the lineup. The catcher has battled through a few issues this season, but he's still managed a good .263/.301/.429 slash line with seven homers, 19 RBI, 20 runs scored and two stolen bases over 40 games with Double-A Bowie as a 19-year-old.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Tending to thumb injury
Rotowire
Basallo was removed Tuesday in Double-A Bowie's 9-4 loss to Richmond with a right thumb injury and is out of the lineup Wednesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Basallo went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run before he was lifted in the top of the eighth inning after he was hit on the thumb while blocking a ball behind the plate earlier in the game. The young catcher has now exited early in both of his last two starts, as he was pulled from Sunday's contest after experiencing dizziness. Unless Basallo is diagnosed with a sprain or any structural damage to his thumb, he should avoid the 7-day injured list and return to Bowie's lineup within the next few days.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Ready to DH at Double-A Bowie
Rotowire
Basallo (elbow) will serve as Double-A Bowie's designated hitter for the first week or so when their season opens Friday, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.
Basallo is working his way back from a right elbow stress fracture and is coming along in his throwing program, but he will not be ready to catch until around May 1. He is expected to play some first base after serving as a DH, before eventually going back behind the plate. The top prospect hit .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs across three levels last season.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Could hit in Monday's game
Rotowire
Basallo (elbow) joined the Orioles' travel roster for Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Yankees and could be deployed off the bench as a designated hitter, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Basallo had been limited at the start of camp while he continues to recover from a right elbow stress fracture, but after responding well over the course of four live batting practice sessions, he's ready to face pitching in a game setting. Though Basallo could end up getting a handful of at-bats in before the Orioles reassign him to minor-league camp, he's not expected to be ready to catch in games until late April. Basallo will likely start the season at Double-A Bowie, but it's unclear if he'll avoid a stint on the injured list since he'll be limited strictly to DH duties for at least the first couple weeks of April.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Taking live batting practice
Rotowire
Basallo (elbow) will take live batting practice Monday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
It will be the first time Basallo has taken BP against a pitcher since he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow at the beginning of camp. The top prospect is not expected to be ready to catch in games until late April but could serve as a designated hitter before then. Basallo is slated to begin the season at Double-A Bowie.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Dealing with elbow stress fracture
Rotowire
Basallo won't be ready to catch in games until around late April after being diagnosed with a right elbow stress fracture, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
The top prospect is able to catch but is not yet allowed to throw. If Basallo gets into any Grapefruit League action this spring, it will be as a designated hitter. The 19-year-old is likely to be assigned to Double-A Bowie once healthy following a breakout 2023 season which saw him slash .313/.402/.551 with 20 home runs across three levels.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Moves up to Double-A
Rotowire
Basallo was promoted from High-A Aberdeen to Double-A Bowie on Sunday, Nathan Ruiz of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Basallo was promoted to the High-A club in late July and will move up in the Orioles' farm system once again now that Aberdeen's season has concluded. Basallo performed well over 26 games at the High-A level, slashing .326/.441/.674 with eight home runs, 24 RBI, 20 runs and five stolen bases.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Excelling against older competition
Rotowire
Basallo is hitting .291 with five home runs, a 22.4 percent strikeout rate and a 126 wRC+ through 46 games with Single-A Delmarva.
The second-youngest qualified hitter in the Carolina League behind Anthony Gutierrez, Basallo has handled his first full-season assignment very well. The 18-year-old catcher/first baseman has a 22.8 percent line-drive rate and a groundball rate under 40 percent, so his quality of contact has been strong. The Orioles believe Basallo is a good enough defender to stick behind the plate, but the fact he is already playing first base roughly a third of the time suggests he will play other positions besides catcher as he continues to climb the ladder.
