Samuel

Basallo

Basallo was hit with a foul tip on Monday, and it turns out that will end his 2026 season. The 22-year-old struggled in his first MLB season, playing through a shoulder injury and hitting .222/.291/.406 with 18 home runs, 54 RBI, and a nearly 27 percent strikeout rate. With Adley Rutschman no longer in town, Basallo will enter 2027 as the starting catcher, but his fantasy value will be impacted by how much of his struggles this season can be attributed to his multiple injuries.

Basallo got hit in the catcher’s mark with a foul tip on Monday and left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. He’s not in the first game today, and Heston Kjerstad is with the team on the taxi squad. The Orioles are carrying three catchers, so Kjerstad could be the corresponding move if Basallo winds up having to go on the injured list.

Basallo has taken an absolute beating behind the plate in recent weeks while managing to play through a lingering right shoulder issue. The 22-year-old former top prospect was able to stay in for a couple innings after taking a foul tip directly off his catcher’s mask. He was 0-for-2 at the dish prior to departing. The hope is that his early exit was merely out of an abundance of caution, but he’ll presumably undergo evaluation for a possible concussion. It’ll be Carlos Narváez handling the catching duties in his absence.

Basallo is back at catcher and hitting sixth following a two-game absence due to an ongoing right shoulder issue. It sounds like he’s going to play through the ailment for the final two weeks of the season without going on the injured list.

Basallo takes a seat for the second consecutive game as he deals with an ongoing right shoulder issue. It’ll be Yohel Pozo handling the catching duties in his absence. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status for the remainder of the week. With less than two weeks remaining in the season, there’s little incentive to continue rostering Basallo in shallow mixed leagues.

It’s no surprise since Basallo hasn’t really looked like himself for a couple weeks. The 22-year-old former top prospect is out of the lineup for Monday’s game against the Mets with Carlos Narváez taking over behind the dish. It sounds like he’s going to play through the lingering issue for the final two weeks, but the Orioles don’t want to take any chances with one of their key young players.

Basallo has been struggling with the bat over the final month of the season as he attempts to play through a shoulder injury. With both Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand hitting well, there are no DH at-bats for Basallo, so he has simply been playing every other day as a catcher. That makes him hard to trust in fantasy leagues. Carlos Narvaez will catch and hit ninth on Monday.

No surprise here since Basallo has been playing through a lingering shoulder issue recently. The 22-year-old didn’t look comfortable on a couple swings during Tuesday’s contest, but managed to grind through the rest of the game. It’ll be Carlos Narváez handling the catching duties on Wednesday night in his absence.

Basallo was playing against lefties more often than not before his IL stint last month, but he’s started against just one of six since returning. It also might factor in these last two days that the Orioles want to take advantage of Carlos Narváez’s familiarity with his former Red Sox teammates. Plus, Basallo did suffer a minor hand injury last weekend.

Basallo’s return comes at a fortuitous time for fantasy managers with Baltimore kicking off a three-game series at high-octane Coors Field. He’s back in the lineup after missing Sunday’s game with a hand contusion. The 22-year-old backstop’s presence at DH pushes Christian Encarnacion-Strand to the bench with Blaze Alexander getting the nod at third base. Things are only going to get more crowded with Luis Robert Jr. coming over from the Mets off waivers in the next few days.