Rockies Recently Released Veteran Catcher Selected by Orioles for Big League Roster

A former Colorado Rockies catcher is back in the Big Leagues with the Baltimore Orioles.

May 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Jacob Stallings (25) looks on against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. / Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies received some excellent production from veteran catcher Jacob Stallings during the 2024 season.

It was the best campaign he has ever put together at the plate, producing an OPS+ of 116; his previous career-best was a 91 in 2020 and 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Stallings had a .263/.357/.453 slash line, hitting nine home runs with 17 doubles, one triple and 36 RBI.

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Alas, that performance was unable to be replicated, as his performance regressed to the mean, hard, in 2025.

Through 28 games and 93 plate appearances, he had a -0.9 bWAR and an OPS+ of nine. A slash line of .143/.217/.179 was put together.

That production, coupled with the breakout of Hunter Goodman, led to the Rockies releasing the veteran catcher on June 6 after making his final appearance on June 4.

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A few weeks later, he was signed by the Baltimore Orioles to add some experienced depth to the organization behind the plate.

The Orioles have battled a rash of injuries all season, but the catcher position has been hit especially hard recently.

Starter Adley Rutschman went down with an oblique injury and his backup, Maverick Handley, was involved in a collision with Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees that landed him on the concussion injured list.

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Most recently, a third catcher, Chadwick Tromp, was placed on the injured list, which has led Stallings back to a Major League roster.

The former Colorado backstop was selected as the replacement for Tromp, but because he was not on the 40-man roster, another move had to be made.

Infielder Emmanuel Rivera was designated for assignment as a result, with outfielder Dylan Carlson being promoted to take his spot on the Big League roster.

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Stallings is expected to operate as the backup catcher to Gary Sanchez, who has been thrust into a much bigger role than anyone predicted coming into the year.

He will likely serve in the backup role until some of the other catchers on the injured list are healthy enough to return.

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