BALTIMORE -- Two of the Orioles’ best hitters are catchers, and playing baseball’s most demanding position can often lead to small injuries over the course of a 162-game season. Right now, both of Baltimore’s backstops are dealing with ailments.
As Samuel Basallo continues to play while having a “bony growth” in his left wrist -- which manager Craig Albernaz divulged the details of Monday -- Adley Rutschman has been sidelined for two games due to left hamstring tightness. Rutschman’s absence was especially felt Tuesday, when the O’s lost 6-5 to the Mariners in 10 innings at Camden Yards.
There were multiple instances during Tuesday’s defeat when the O’s (31-37 after four straight losses) likely would have considered pinch-hitting Rutschman had he been available. Instead, the 28-year-old -- who is slashing .267/.343/.489 with 14 doubles and eight home runs -- was the last remaining player on the bench.
“Day to day. It's one of those things where, reassessing, he went through the workout today,” Albernaz said. “So we just want to make sure that we stay on top of that."
Meanwhile, 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, and on Monday, Basallo learned of the bony growth.
"I didn’t know I had a bone grow there before [Monday], they told me that," Basallo said Tuesday. "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."
On Monday, Basallo was out of the starting lineup. However, the 21-year-old pinch-hit for Sam Huff in the bottom of the eighth and then stayed in to catch the top of the ninth in a 6-3 loss to Seattle.
On Tuesday, Basallo again came off the bench, pinch-hitting in the seventh and going 0-for-2 with a game-tying RBI in the ninth. He also caught the final three frames.
"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. He is hitting .263 with nine doubles, nine homers, 27 RBIs and an .802 OPS over 56 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 has logged 237 2/3 innings over 29 games (27 starts) at catcher this season. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native 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."
Although Baltimore has endured its second-longest losing streak of the season -- behind only a five-game slide from April 30 to May 4 -- Basallo remains confident in the club’s long-term outlook.
“I feel like we have a chance to do something special this year,” Basallo said.