Samuel

Basallo

It’s a relief for fantasy managers after Basallo was removed from Thursday’s spring contest following a home-plate collision. The 21-year-old top prospect has been diagnosed with right side abdominal discomfort but doesn’t appear to be dealing with an oblique-related issue. Fantasy managers should continue monitoring the situation but early indications are that he managed to avoid serious injury.

Basallo left Thursday’s game after a play at the plate that had him grabbing at his side. On Friday morning, the 21-year-old said he was “feeling good after getting checked by the medical team yesterday.” Basallo reportedly felt cramping as part of the discomfort, but “everything is good,” so, yeah, that’s good.

Most importantly, Albernaz doesn’t believe Basallo will undergo any testing. If that holds true, Basallo has likely emerged from today’s scare no worse for the wear. Basallo injured his core while trying to make a lunging tag at the plate. It still wouldn’t be surprising if he missed a few days.

He made a lunging tag at the plate on a relay and stayed down for a bit before the trainer came over. Basallo left the field walking gingerly. We’ll have more as it becomes available, but it’s possible that he’ll miss real time with a core injury.

Basallo’s ability to generate consistent hard contact at such a young age locks him in as one of the premier fantasy prospects heading into next season. The 21-year-old scuffled in his first taste of the majors last season, managing a .559 OPS with four homers over a 31-game cameo, but the underlying power profile remained firmly intact. Pete Alonso’s arrival clouds the playing-time picture by pushing Ryan Mountcastle and Coby Mayo into reserve roles, though Basallo — who signed an eight-year, $67 million contract last August — still appears to have a path to regular at-bats splitting time between catcher and DH. He’s in intriguing high-upside late-round selection in all fantasy drafts this spring.

Baltimore’s newly-minted skipper added that he’s eager to work with the former top prospect this spring to get him back on track. Kjerstad missed the final two months of last season at Triple-A Norfolk with an undisclosed medical issue. The positive news is that he’s made a full recovery and will be a full-go at the outset of spring training. The 26-year-old former second-overall pick has faded from fantasy relevance in recent years but a clean bill of health and a different manager could help revive his career. His most likely path to regular at-bats involves prying playing time away from top prospects Dylan Beavers and Samuel Basallo in a hybrid role between right field and DH. He’s a name to watch in spring training, especially in deeper mixed leagues.

There were some questions about whether or not the Orioles were looking to turn things over to top prospect Samuel Basallo after Rutschman had a disappointing 2025 season, but that does not appear to be the case. Elias did imply that there is room for the team to have two good catchers, which means both Rutschman and Basallo should see regular playing time behind the dish. If the Orioles also move on from Ryan Mountcastle, then there could be additional at-bats at first base and/or designated hitter for Basallo in 2026.

Rutschman has gone 1-for-11 with a triple in four games since returning from the injured list earlier this week following a five-week absence recovering from an oblique strain. Some signs of rust were inevitable since the 27-year-old backstop got only a handful of rehab contests under his belt prior to making it back to Baltimore. It’ll be top prospect Samuel Basallo handling the catching duties during Saturday afternoon’s matinee affair at Yankee Stadium.

Basallo sat out Thursday’s game with a sore wrist after he was plunked by a pitch during Wednesday’s contest against the Rays. X-rays came back negative for any fractures though and the pain and swelling have subsided enough for Basallo to return to the Orioles’ lineup as the designated hitter on Friday evening. He’ll bat eighth against Will Warren and the Yankees.

Basallo was hit by a pitch during Wednesday’s game against the Rays, but x-rays came back negative for any fracture. Whether or not Basallo actually plays tomorrow is anybody’s guess right now. The Orioles do not need to rush back their top prospect if he’s anything less than 100 percent.