Orioles have clear offseason priority in the wake of Samuel Basallo's ongoing injury issues

The Baltimore Orioles are at an inflection point with Samuel Basallo. The 22-year-old catcher has not been able to stay healthy behind the plate, dealing with concussions and throwing shoulder problems. After paying him a long-term contract, mostly due to his bat, keeping him healthy should be paramount.

Basallo was always going to be a bat-first catcher. His 2025 MLB Pipeline scouting report listed Basallo as a catcher/first baseman, and it wrote, "Basallo’s defensive game isn’t considered nearly as sure of a thing as his bat." He wasn't even in the majors when questions about whether he would stick behind the plate arose, and this season he only caught 56% of the games he played in, and only 65% of the games he played in after Adley Rutschman was traded.

Basallo's bat hasn't translated to the majors the way the organization had hoped. He played 31 games in 2025 after his August 17 call-up and hit .165 with a .559 OPS. He was only able to play 112 games in 2026, with two different stints on the IL. His bat was better this season, though he still only had a .222 batting average and a .696 OPS.

Orioles need to make the hard decision about Samuel Basallo at catcher sooner rather than later

As a hit-first player, the Orioles should be prioritizing that area of his game. Jerking him around between three different spots is never easy for a young player. It also seems like playing behind the plate is causing injuries that are keeping him off the field. To keep him healthy, it might be time to retire the catcher's mitt.

This offseason, Baltimore needs to explore this avenue. They should be evaluating the catching options outside the organization for a new starter. Catcher actually looks to be one of the stronger positions in free agency this winter. They could look for a higher-quality player on a multi-year contract, or a veteran on a one-year contract.

Baltimore needs to figure out what the plan for Basallo is. If he is the catcher of the future, they need to find ways to keep him healthy. If they want to maximize his bat, they should commit to him as a full-time DH and maybe as a backup or third-string catcher.

Basallo is a special talent. Players don't get ranked in the top 15 of all prospects without the traits and tools to be an impact major leaguer, but what got him there was his bat. It may feel odd to make such a young player a full-time DH, but he's been paid. His bat is what carried him to the big leagues; they need to make sure he can actually make use of it.

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