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: Returns to lineup Thursday
Rotowire
Basallo (forearm) went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Double-A Bowie's game versus Altoona on Thursday.
Basallo was injured Wednesday when he was hit by a pitch, but it's encouraging he was back in the lineup just a day later, given his already notable list of minor injuries this year. He played at designated hitter Thursday, but he should be back behind the dish in short order.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Departs after HBP
Rotowire
Basallo was removed from Double-A Bowie's game Wednesday after being hit by a pitch in the left forearm, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
The specifics of the situation are unclear, but Basallo could be headed for X-rays to determine the extent of the injury. He should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Returns to action
Rotowire
Basallo (lower body) has gone 2-for-9 with a home run, a double, three RBI and three walks for over three games for Double-A Bowie since returning from injury.
Basallo has had trouble avoiding minor injuries this year, but the good news is that his most recent one, a lower-body contusion, only cost him a few days. The 19-year-old continues to impress at Bowie with a .277/.339/.465 slash line, 12 homers, 35 RBI and 38 runs scored across 69 contests.
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Orioles' Samuel Basallo: Exits with injury
Rotowire
Basallo exited Thursday's game with Double-A Bowie due to a lower body contusion, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
No details were provided regarding the injury, which comes shortly after Basallo was able to return from an ankle injury June 18 after a three-game absence. When healthy, he's had an impressive season at Bowie, hitting .281 with 11 homers and six stolen bases across 272 plate appearances as a 19-year-old.
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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: Sustains ankle injury
Rotowire
Basallo was removed from Double-A Bowie's 5-4 loss to Harrisburg on Saturday with a right ankle contusion, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
Basallo is one of the Orioles' top prospects and is slashing .281/.331/.460 with 10 home runs and five stolen bases across 58 games with the Baysox. He went 0-for-6 on Saturday before being pulled. At this point, Basallo's injury doesn't seem to be significant.
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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: Departs with dizziness
Rotowire
Basallo was removed from Double-A Bowie's game Sunday due to dizziness, Jacob Calvin Meyer of The Baltimore Sun reports.
Basallo will presumably go through some concussion testing, and it's unclear if he'll be forced to miss additional time. The 19-year-old was limited to DH duties to open the season while returning from a right elbow stress fracture, and he's struggled through 35 games at Bowie with a .684 OPS.
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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: Game at-bats coming soon
Rotowire
Basallo (elbow) will make his spring debut early next week before playing in the Spring Breakout game Thursday, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
The 19-year-old hasn't seen the field so far in camp while recovering from a stress fracture in his right elbow, but he's just about fully cleared for hitting. Basallo isn't expected to be ready to catch in games until the second half of April, so there's still significant rehab work left to go.
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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: Takes BP
Rotowire
Basallo (elbow) took on-field batting practice Thursday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Basallo doesn't look poised to take part in Grapefruit League games anytime soon, but the 19-year-old backstop is seemingly coming along well in his recovery from a stress fracture in his right elbow. In addition to taking part in batting practice, Basallo has already been able to do some throwing during camp. He's expected to open the season at Double-A Bowie, though he may be in store for a brief stint on the 7-day injured list to begin the campaign.
Basallo (elbow) did some throwing Friday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
Working his way back from a right elbow stress fracture, Basallo will be limited to designated hitter duty this spring and won't be cleared to catch until April. The 19-year-old top prospect will likely 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: Promoted to High-A
Rotowire
Basallo was promoted from Single-A Delmarva to High-A Aberdeen on Monday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
The 18-year-old lefty slugger slashed .299/.384/.503 with 12 home runs, seven steals and a 20.7 percent strikeout rate at Single-A. Basallo started 50 games at catcher and 21 games at first base -- a trend that should continue as he keeps climbing the ranks. He moves well for his size (6-foot-3, roughly 200 pounds) now, but Basallo will likely slow down in the coming years.
