HOUSTON — Ever since Samuel Basallo reached Triple A as a 20-year-old last season, the question hadn’t been if the talented left-handed hitting catcher would reach the big leagues — but when. That day finally arrived Sunday, when the Baltimore Orioles officially promoted their top prospect — and the No. 8 prospect in baseball — to the major leagues.
Where Basallo will get the majority of his playing time remains to be seen. In all likelihood, the 21-year-old would have debuted earlier this season if he didn’t share a position with one of the Orioles’ mainstays, Adley Rutschman. Though the majority of Basallo’s playing time has been behind the plate this season, he has played 20 games at first base and logged 32 games there last season, so he could continue to split time between catcher, first base and designated hitter in the big leagues.
Basallo was in the lineup as the DH and batting sixth on Sunday in Houston. Before the game, Orioles manager Tony Mansolino said Basallo would effectively act as the Orioles’ No. 2 catcher behind Rutschman, while also seeing time at DH and first base.
“He’s going to catch. We need to see him catch here,” Mansolino said.
He said they plan use Basallo as a catcher in Boston on Monday, DH him the second game, and he will go to first base at some point against the Astros at home next weekend.
“Adley will function as our No. 1 catcher because that’s what he is. He’s a really good catcher. He’ll function as a one and what we’ll do with Basallo is he’ll probably function as the No. 2 — catch day games,” Mansolino said. “Adley won’t catch four in a row, things like that. (It’s) how we’ve handled Alex Jackson here over the last month or so, Basallo will kind of take over that role. We’ll also see him at first base.”
Basallo heads to the majors as one of the Triple-A International League’s top hitters. He dealt with right elbow inflammation during spring training, then suffered hamstring and oblique injuries that cost him regular-season time, but he’s hit the ball extremely well when he’s been healthy. In 76 games, he’s batting .270/.377/.589 with 23 home runs and 44 walks. He ranks first among all Triple-A hitters in several categories, including xSLG (.625), ISO (.320) and Barrel rate (21 percent).
Samuel Basallo’s ranks in Triple-A (min. 250 PA):
xSLG: .625, 1st
ISO: .320, 1st
Barrel rate: 21%, 1st
Avg EV: 94.2 mph, 2nd
Barrels: 41, 2nd
xWOBA: .430, 2nd
Hard-hit rate: 57.4%, 4th
wRC+: 151, 5th
SLG: .589, 7th
90th-percentile EV: 108.3 mph, 8th
OPS: .966, 8th
wOBA: .407, 9th
xBA: .281, 10th— Sam Dykstra (@samdykstramilb.bsky.social) August 17, 2025 at 7:17 AM
Signed as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic on Jan. 15, 2021, for a $1.3 million signing bonus, Basallo quickly established himself as one of the top catching prospects in the game. In his age-18 season in 2023, he hit .313/.402/.551 with 20 homers in 114 games, finishing that year in Double A. In 401 career minor-league games, he’s homered 73 times. He was the 2023 Low-A Carolina League MVP and participated in the MLB Futures Game in 2024.
Basallo began the season as the No. 3 prospect in baseball in Keith Law’s top 100 prospect list. Though Law ranked Basallo at No. 8 in the midseason rankings, Law wrote that Basallo had significantly improved his walk and contact rates this season. Law also noted that there had been some questions about Basallo’s defense behind the plate, but said that Basallo had more than enough bat to be an everyday first baseman if that’s where he ended up long term.
“The bat is going to play anywhere,” Law wrote, “and he may instead just be their 30-homer first baseman of the future.”
Mansolino said Sunday that they like Basallo’s receiving skills but need to see how he’ll handle the other aspects of the catcher position.
“I just think — and (GM) Mike (Elias) feels strong too — that we need to see the catch tool and see if he can do it,” Mansolino said, also adding that the Orioles will be evaluating Basallo at first base. “It’s a big ask. That’s going to be the hardest thing to do here. It’s not going to be the offense and, in terms of the catching, it’s not going to be the receiving. He’s a good receiver. It’s not going to be the throwing — he’s a really good thrower and blocker. It’s going to be calling a game in the big leagues and following game plans and everything that is accompanied with that. We’re going to see what he can do with that and see where his future lies with the Orioles behind the dish.”
It has been a disappointing season for the Orioles, who hoped to return to the postseason for a second straight year. Instead, they’ve slipped to the bottom of the American League East at 56-67. But this weekend is giving Orioles fans a glimpse at the club’s future. Not only is Basallo joining the team, but the club’s No. 7 prospect, Dylan Beavers, made his major-league debut Saturday, collecting a double in five at-bats. The Orioles are also welcoming back young outfielder Colton Cowser from the seven-day concussion injured list Sunday.
To make room for Basallo and Cowser on the active roster, the Orioles optioned first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda and outfielder Daniel Johnson to Triple A. Right-hander Zach Eflin was moved to the 60-day injured list. Eflin will undergo a season-ending lumbar microdiscectomy Monday to address a lower back injury.
(Photo: Richard Rodriguez / Getty Images)