Orioles news: Top prospect promoted, Brooks Kriske claimed, Trevor Rogers' rock bottom

On Thursday, the Orioles made the major announcement that top prospect Samuel Basallo is being promoted to Triple-A Norfolk after tearing up Double-A all summer.

Basallo has hit to the tune of .287/.355/.457 with 15 homers, 9 steals, and elite plate discipline. He's struck out just 19% of the time and has a walk rate just shy of 10%, a great sign that he's ready to move up the ladder and face more advanced pitching.

Though Basallo isn't an elite defender, he's been solid behind the plate and has looked pretty good defensively in limited time at first base. The Orioles might look to get Basallo more time at first moving forward in order to get him ready for the big leagues.

With Adley Rutschman cemented as the primary catcher in Baltimore, the O's won't be able to commit to giving Basallo the lion's share of the playing time behind the plate for the foreseeable future. And since it seems unlikely that they'll use Basallo as trade bait, it makes sense to get him playing time elsewhere in order to increase his viability at the highest level.

At just 20 years old, Basallo will be the youngest player in Triple-A. He's unlikely to make his major league debut until at least 2025 but if he hits well down the stretch, he could be up early next year.

Former Orioles' reliever Brooks Kriske returns to Baltimore

On Sunday, the Orioles announced they had claimed right-handed reliever Brooks Kriske off waivers from the Reds. Kriske put up some intriguing numbers pre-2020 and actually spent a brief bit of time with the Orioles in 2021, but by that time his best years were behind him.

Kriske pitched to a 14.29 ERA between Baltimore and the Yankees in 2021, was released by the Orioles after the season, and spent the entire 2022 season as a free agent. He pitched poorly in the Royals organization in 2023 and has been iffy with the Reds in 2024.

Kriske misses bats but has zero control of the strike zone and has frequently posted walk rates north of 15%. His 3.10 ERA in 2024 comes with a much worse 4.00 FIP. He's posted a 36.7% strikeout rate but when he's not missing bats, he's out of the zone entirely.

That profile works with less talented hitters in the minors but it's a recipe for disaster at the highest level, as evidenced by his career 11.22 ERA. Orioles fans shouldn't expect much from the 29 year old moving forward.

Trevor Rogers implodes in first Triple-A start

Trevor Rogers was never this bad in Miami. He's completely imploded since the trade in July, with the most recent incident being a 10-run shelling at the hands of the Worcester Red Sox.

The Sox's Triple-A squad has a number of top prospects but Rogers gave up 10 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks in 4.1 innings, a completely unacceptable result for a pitcher of his alleged caliber.

It's possible that Rogers is dealing with some sort of injury. He's had stretches in the past where he's been completely ineffective like this but at the rate things are going, this has the potential to be one of the worst Orioles trades in recent memory.