The Baltimore Orioles have suffered two major injuries during spring training. The first is Jackson Holliday, who broke his hamate bone early on. The second is Jordan Westburg, who will miss much more time with a partially torn UCL. That injury misfortune has continued into spring training games. Samuel Basallo was hurt on a play at the plate during Thursday’s spring training game.
The play in question was a double into the gap in the third inning. The ball was cut off in right field and relayed home. At the plate, Basallo was forced to dive for the tag, which is when the injury occurred. The out was made, but it came at the cost of Basallo’s midsection. A video below from MLB Pipeline on X shows the full play.
More details: t.co/ytvzi8QNL7
All in all, it was a clean play from both sides. The good news is that Basallo was able to walk off under his own power. More will be known once he is further evaluated, but Baltimore will no doubt take a cautious approach with their top prospect.
Samuel Basallo’s Role This Season
GettySamuel Basallo batted just .165 last season.
Basallo is primarily a catcher. Of course, that is a problem for the Orioles as Adley Rutschman is their starting backstop. Still, the top prospect had a great chance to make the team out of spring training.
Last season, Basallo made his MLB debut and played 31 games. There were some real struggles, though. The 21-year-old slashed .165/.229/.330 with four home runs, 15 RBI, and 30 strikeouts over 118 at-bats. He had a lot of swing-and-miss in his game last year, and chased a lot of pitches out of the zone. That is something Baltimore was hoping to coach out of him during the spring.
In spring training heading into Thursday, Basallo has two hits in seven at-bats, but he has struck out four times. He still has to develop a good amount as a big leaguer, but his potential is hard to ignore.
If he were to make the team out of spring training, which seems likely, he would be mainly a DH. Basallo could also play some first base, though that position is held down by Pete Alonso. For now, Baltimore needs him to remain healthy.
Other Injuries
GettyJackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are both missing extended time.
As mentioned, the Orioles have had some bad luck this spring. Holliday is expected back around opening day, but Westburg will miss at least the first month of the season. Basallo makes the third (possible) starter the Orioles have lost.
Now, the extent of Basallo’s injury is still unknown. It could very well be something minor, and he could be back in the lineup very soon. However, if it is something more major, Baltimore will be down three starters.
Finding an identity in spring training is important, and the Orioles are going to struggle to do that if injuries continue to pile up. Baltimore fully expects to be a contending team this year, but they will need to be at full strength if they are going to compete in the AL East.
Orioles Injury Misfortune Continues, This Time to Top Prospect