Orioles designate Sam Huff for assignment Sunday

Huff elected free agency on Thursday after refusing an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk, but after exploring the open market he decided his best opportunity was to remain with the Orioles. He’ll continue to serve as extra catching depth.

Huff had gone 4-for-23 in nine games for the Orioles this season and did not want to report back to Triple-A. Huff has a .241/.292/.416 career slash line in 107 MLB games and figures to get another shot to provide catching depth in a new organization.

Huff will stick around as emergency organizational depth for Baltimore after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 28-year-old backstop has gone 4-for-23 at the dish in nine games for the Orioles this season.

Baltimore is going to roll with three catchers on their active roster with Adley Rutschman on the injured list. It’s worth noting that Samuel Basallo is out of the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Angels, but there hasn’t been any indication that he’s dealing with any sort of physical issue besides the usual bumps and bruises. It’ll be Sam Huff handling the catching duties on Monday night with Tromp in a backup role.

Rutschman sat out his second consecutive contest on Tuesday night. It doesn’t sound like a potential injured list situation at the moment, but the Orioles can’t really afford to take any chances with Samuel Basallo playing through a wrist injury. Sam Huff has handled the catching duties in back-to-back games. There should be some additional clarity on his status heading into the final two games of the clubs’ current series against Seattle.

Adley Rutschman is also on the bench for the second consecutive contest. His status is up in the air, but he’s clearly dealing with some sort of physical issue. Sam Huff is handling the catching duties with Basallo sitting out to rest a lingering left wrist issue. The 21-year-old came off the bench as a pinch-hitter during Monday’s series opener and appears likely to avoid the injured list.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz told reporters Basallo is dealing with a left wrist issue that he’s been playing through for some time. He added that he doesn’t believe it will require surgery. There’s no indication he’ll require a trip to the injured list at this time. Basallo will receive some extra time off following his involvement in a home-plate collision during Sunday’s series finale against the Blue Jays that led to his early exit from the contest. The 21-year-old former top prospect also missed time earlier in the series with an abdominal issue. There’s a lot to unpack here. It’ll be Sam Huff handling the catching duties with Adley Rutschman also receiving a day off.

Huff receives the call to join Baltimore’s catching mix as emergency depth behind starter Adley Rutschman while Samuel Basallo deals with an abdominal issue. The 28-year-old offers some over-the-fence pop but little else at this stage of his career. He got into three games for the Orioles earlier this month.

Huff is expected to re-sign with the Orioles, so it appears to just be a little financial incentive for him to elect free agency rather than report straight back to Triple-A. The 28-year-old will be a depth piece for Baltimore, and need to be added to the 40-man roster to join the Orioles.

Huff’s services are no longer required in Baltimore with Adley Rutschman coming off the 10-day injured list from his ankle injury. The former top prospect will hit the waiver wire, and he’ll have a choice to report back to Norfolk or hit free agency if he’s unclaimed.