BALTIMORE—The Orioles activated Samuel Basallo from the 10-day injured list for Wednesday night’s game against the New York Yankees. Basallo, who will be one of three Oriole catchers, will play first base and hit fourth.
Basallo had been on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation since July 20th and had two rehab games, on Sunday at Triple-A Norfolk and Tuesday at Double-A Chesapeake.
He was 1-for-4 at Norfolk and caught seven innings. With the Baysox, Basallo was hitless in five at-bats and played first base.
“It’s nice writing Sammy’s name in the lineup,” manager Craig Albernaz said. “Missed him. It’s good to have him back, and especially the way attacked his rehab process.
“His body’s in a really good spot. He’s moving well, and very athletic. I think in the box he’s moving better than he was on the past.”
To make room for Basallo on the active roster, the Orioles are optioning utility player Jeremiah Jackson to Triple-A Norfolk. Jackson was hitless in his last 25-at bats and hadn’t had a hit since July 20th. He hit .226 with a .614 OPS, seven home runs and 39 RBIs.
“Obviously, he hasn’t played as much as he wanted to,” Albernaz said. “But he did an outstanding job in the role that he was in and handled it like a pro, but ultimately JJ needs to get at-bats, get those reps.”
The Orioles will keep both Carlos Narváez, who’s catching Chris Bassitt on Wednesday night, and Yohel Pozo.
“Carrying three catchers is a big thing for us to make sure that we have protection,” Albernaz said. “With Sammy coming off the IL, we felt we needed extra security.”
Alexander nearing return
The Orioles might be on the cusp of getting back their handiest player, Blaze Alexander. The 27-year-old utility player, who’s started games at six different positions this season, fractured his left hand when Kansas City’s Lucas Erceg hit him with a pitch on July 12th.
“Having Sammy back is a big boost and Blaze coming around the corner as well,” Albernaz said.
Alexander, who was hitting .312 with an .807 OPS, four home runs and 29 RBIs at the time of his injury, thinks rehab games are coming shortly.
“X-ray came back yesterday, really, really good thing,” Alexander said. “Progressing, next step here is rehab games. We’ll figure out when that’s going to be, what day that’s going to be, but super, super soon.”
The Orioles get an extra player on September 1st, but Alexander thinks he can come off the injured list before then. He’s suggesting August 28th when the Orioles visit the Athletics.
“Hopefully, at some point in that West Coast trip,” he said. “I’d love to be there, and that’s what we’re shooting for.”
The Orioles didn’t offer a timetable when Alexander was hurt, but a return for the Athletics series would mean he missed just under seven weeks.
“It’s what my body’s telling me,” Alexander said. “The work I’ve done with the whole training staff has been really, really good, made the whole IL stint pretty easy.”
Alexander’s ability to play multiple positions is a huge plus in Albernaz’s eyes.
“How dynamic he is, the versatility, the way he was swinging the bat, the way he runs the bases, it will be a huge boost for us,” Albernaz said. “We’re excited to know he’s close, but also we want to make sure he’s fully backed and fully healthy.”
The Orioles were 46-51 when Alexander was hurt, and they’ve gone 15-14 while he’s been on the injured list. He’ll be excited to rejoin a team that’s a contender for a wild-card spot.
“No doubt,” he said. “That’s why you play the game. You play the game in situations like these to make that playoff push in September and be the team we know we can be.”
No player likes being sidelined, but it might be even harder for the energetic Alexander.
“Definitely super hard. It’s not fun,” Alexander said. “It’s not fun watching from the sideline. Your guys out there every day. You feel like you can’t really do anything at help but just cheer for them. I feel like I’m a whole lot more valuable to this team when I’m out in the field, and there’s no doubt about it.”
Orioles-Yankees lineups
Orioles
Jackson Holliday-2B
Pete Alonso-DH
Gunnar Henderson-SS
Samuel Basallo-1B
Coby Mayo-3B
Dylan Beavers-LF
Leody Taveras-RF
Colton Cowser-CF
Carlos Narváez-C
Chris Bassitt-RHP
Yankees
Trent Grisham-CF
Ben Rice-DH
Luis Garcia Jr.-1B
Heliot Ramos-LF
Jazz Chisholm-2B
Spencer Jones-RF
Ryan McMahon-3B
George Lombard Jr.-SS
Austin Wells-C
Will Warren-RHP
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