Insider Believes Orioles Will Call Up Samuel Basallo This Summer

It's hard to believe that an area of the Baltimore Orioles' roster would be hit harder by injuries than their pitching staff, but that is exactly what has happened to their catcher position in the summer months.

With Adley Rutschman on the injured list, backups Maverick Handley and Chadwick Tromp quickly followed him to the shelf.

Gary Sanchez was activated off the IL and provided his best production after signing with the Orioles this past offseason. But that stretch was short-lived since he is back on the injured list after suffering a right knee sprain.

Now, two catchers who weren't even on the roster two weeks ago -- Jacob Stalling and the recently-acquired Austin Jackson -- are the two options for Baltimore behind the plate.

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That's notable because the Orioles opted to make a trade with the New York Yankees to bring in Jackson instead of promoting their superstar prospect Samuel Basallo.

Baltimore has had a plan when it comes to the 20-year-old, keeping him in the minors as long as possible so he can continue to develop on defense despite his bat looking more than ready to get some action in The Show.

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How long can they stick with that strategy?

Roch Kubatko of MASN doesn't think much longer, with him reporting, "... No. 1 prospect Samuel Basallo is expected to arrive later this summer."

That makes sense.

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The team is fighting for their playoff lives, hoping they can get back into the picture before the front office has to trade away some pieces ahead of the trade deadline.

If the Orioles do end up selling, then seeing what Basallo can do at the Major League level is the best course of action.

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