The Orioles have had a litany of injuries at the catcher position, but the best catching prospect in the game has yet to make his big league debut

After Adley Rutschman went down with injury a few weeks ago, many wondered if it would be the time for Samuel Basallo to make his major league debut. After all, Basallo is the top catching prospect in the game according to MLB Pipeline, and boasts an OPS over .900 in Triple-A.

Instead, the Orioles opted for Maverick Handley to join Gary Sánchez up in the big leagues. But when Handley hit the concussion injured list, surely that would be the time for Basallo. Not then either. Chadwick Tromp got the call to the big leagues.

But when Tromp hit the injured list with a lower back strain, there weren’t many catchers left in the organization to call upon except for Basallo.

That wasn’t the 20 year old’s time either. The Orioles brought in veteran catcher Jacob Stallings, who played a few games in Triple-A before being promoted to the big leagues.

When Sánchez went down this weekend with a knee injury, though, surely enough catching injuries had forced Baltimore’s hand into promoting their top catching prospect. Not even then, it would turn out, as the O’s acquired former No. 6 overall pick Alex Jackson from the New York Yankees.

With each passing catcher injury, an absurd four backstops on the injured list, the Orioles’ plan for Basallo becomes more apparent: the will not call him up to the big leagues out of necessity.

The only thing determining when Basallo will debut is Basallo himself, and the O’s won’t put his long-term development in jeopardy.

Orioles won’t sacrifice Samuel Basallo’s long-term development for short-term gain

As anxious as fans may be to see Basallo hit home runs in a major league uniform, the line of thinking makes sense. Ranked the 11th-best prospect in the game according to Pipeline, Basallo figures to play a large role in Baltimore’s future.

Calling the 20-year-old up to the big leagues too early could jeopardize his development, the last scenario that the Orioles want.

Take Jackson Holliday as an example. Last year, in his first stretch in the big leagues, the 20-year-old Holliday recorded just two hits in 10 games with 18 strikeouts and two walks.

He was sent back down to Triple-A for a reset, and even Mike Elias admitted that they may have brought Holliday up too quickly.

Of course, Holliday responded well, and has been putting up much better numbers in 2025. But when the O’s call up Basallo, they want him to be ready to stay.

At some point this season, there will most likely be a time when Basallo’s name is called to give Baltimore’s offense a boost and start his big league journey. That journey will begin on the O’s terms, though, and not out of necessity.