BALTIMORE—Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo’s season is over. After getting hit by a foul tip on the mask during Monday night’s game against the Blue Jays, Basallo has been placed on the 7-day concussion injured list, retroactive to Tuesday.
He was hit in the fifth inning and left the game after the sixth.
“Concussions are so finicky,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Sometimes it’s immediate and sometimes it kind of shows up as the night goes, and luckily we got Sammy out when we did. The symptoms crept up at night.”
Basallo walked out of the clubhouse on Monday night and was in the clubhouse on Wednesday morning before a doubleheader between the Orioles and Blue Jays.
“It’s not a ‘severe concussion.’ There’s a few boxes he didn’t check,” Albernaz said.
In his first full season with the Orioles, the 22-year-old Basallo hit .222 with a .696 OPS, 18 home runs and 54 RBIs. He missed a month with left shoulder inflammation. In the second half of the season, he hit just .140 with two home runs and eight RBIs in 29 games.
Though Creed Willems is on the catcher taxi squad, the Orioles chose to recall outfielder/designated hitter Heston Kjerstad from Triple-A Norfolk.
Kjerstad, who was optioned to Norfolk last Friday, is hitting .211, (4-for-19) with two RBIs in 11 games.
Holliday getting surgery
Second baseman Jackson Holliday, who’s on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation, will have surgery on the wrist early next week, Albernaz said.
The 22-year-old Holliday, who had surgery on his right wrist in February and didn’t play until May 19th, ends his season with a .229 average and .640 OPS, seven home runs and 30 RBIs in 98 games.
“He missed all of spring training,” Albernaz said. “For a young player, that’s tough to do. A rehab assignment is your spring training.”
Albernaz said Holliday should be ready for the start of spring training.
Orioles-Blue Jays 1st game lineups
Orioles
Dylan Beavers-LF
Pete Alonso-1B
Gunnar Henderson-SS
Coby Mayo-DH
Christian Encarnacion-Strand-3B
Colton Cowser-CF
Jeremiah Jackson-2B
Leody Taveras-RF
Carlos Narváez-C
Chris Bassitt-RHP
Blue Jays
Nathan Lukes-RF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.-1B
Kazuma Okamoto-3B
George Springer-DH
Josh Smith-LF
Andrés Giménez-SS
Brandon Valenzuela-C
Myles Straw-CF
Ernie Clement-2B
Max Scherzer-RHP
Note: The Orioles have not announced a starting pitcher for the second game. Contrary to what I wrote after yesterday’s rainout, teams do not get an extra player for doubleheaders after rosters expand on September 1st.
Call for questions: I answer Orioles questions most weekdays. Please send yours to: [email protected]