The Baltimore Orioles activated catcher Samuel Basallo from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday and immediately inserted him into the starting lineup as the clean-up hitter/first baseman against the visiting New York Yankees.
The 22-year old rookie was placed on the IL on July 20 with right shoulder inflammation. On Aug. 3, the Orioles traded Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox, and the team’s offensive production at catcher went from the top of the league to the bottom.
Baltimore has gone with a catching duo of Carlos Narvaez — acquired in the trade with Boston — and Yohel Pozo, whom the Orioles picked up from St. Louis in late July. The pair have combined for seven hits in 48 at-bats (.146) with one home run and seven RBIs.
Basallo, who missed 26 games during his time on the injured list, is enjoying a solid first full season in the majors, posting 16 homers and 46 RBIs to go along with a .241 batting average in 86 games.
The Dominican native played in two games in last week’s rehab assignment, going a combined 1-for-9 with a double and 3 RBIs for Double-A Chesapeake and Triple-A Norfolk.
In a corresponding move, the Orioles optioned infielder Jeremiah Jackson, 26, to Norfolk.
Jackson, who hit six home runs and drove in 23 runs in April for the Orioles, is hitless in 18 August at-bats. His average has plummeted to .226 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs in 89 games.
