BALTIMORE -- As Samuel Basallo navigates his first full big league season, the 21-year-old catcher is continuing to learn to play through the types of minor injuries that can occur over a long year. And as it turns out, the "bony growth" in his left wrist -- which Orioles manager Craig Albernaz talked about Monday -- is something Basallo didn't know he had until earlier this week.
"I didn’t know I had a bone grow there before [Monday], they told me that," Basallo said prior to Tuesday's game vs. the Mariners at Camden Yards. "I feel my wrist in the past -- now I know why it hurts. Now, I can treat it the right way. Maybe when the season ends, do something to take that off, or I don’t know."
Basallo felt some discomfort in his left wrist during the sixth inning of Sunday's 6-4 loss at Toronto following a play at the plate. He didn't stay in for the entire game, as Leody Taveras pinch-hit for him in the eighth.
Then, Basallo was out of the starting lineup for Monday's 6-3 loss to Seattle. However, the youngster pinch-hit for Sam Huff in the bottom of the eighth and then stayed in to catch the top of the ninth. He was out of the lineup again Tuesday, though he took batting practice on the field with the O's.
"It was one of those things where it’s going to be uncomfortable, and it’s something that he’s always had,” Albernaz said before Monday's game. “One of the things with Sammy is knowing his body and playing through some things and knowing that he can play. ... This is another step in his development, is knowing how to play through some pain and not being 100 percent all the time.”
The bony growth doesn't cause constant pain/discomfort in Basallo's wrist. Instead, it just flares up at times.
"Some days, it feels good. Like I said to [Albernaz], it’s just when I hit my wrist or something happens, I start feeling that more. That happened on the play [Sunday]," Basallo said. "I had that injury when I was a kid, before I signed. And I didn’t know I had a bone growing there, or I don’t know how to say it. But yeah, that’s something I’ve been dealing with maybe my whole career."
The Orioles want to play Basallo as much as possible. Entering Tuesday, he was hitting .266 with nine doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 26 RBIs and an .810 OPS through 55 games.
There have been some minor injury situations along the way, though. Basallo was scratched from the lineup prior to a May 11 win over the Yankees due to left knee discomfort that stemmed from a play at the plate the previous day. He also exited last Friday's win vs. the Blue Jays because of right abdominal discomfort.
"I don’t control that. Some days, I feel fine and I don’t control when they take me out of the game. That’s just how it is, that’s how it works," Basallo said. "Everybody plays with pains, everybody plays with injuries and whatever, and I know that because I’ve been through a lot of stuff and it’s just how it is."
Basallo also plays perhaps the sport's most demanding position. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native has logged 234 2/3 innings over 28 games (27 starts) at catcher this season. He played 463 2/3 innings behind the plate between the Majors and Minors in 2025.
"I feel fine, I feel normal," Basallo said. "The workload is fine. I’ve been a catcher my whole life, so that’s fine."