The Orioles have to pull the trigger on an aggressive call-up to fix their broken catching position

Every game in the Baltimore Orioles series against the Atlanta Braves was tied in the bottom of the ninth inning. In every single ninth inning, the spot in the Orioles lineup held by the catcher came to the plate, and the Orioles used a pinch hitter. In the one game the Orioles managed to win, they walked it off before the catcher spot in the lineup came around again, but in the other two games which they lost, both ended with backup catcher Sam Huff at the plate with a chance to tie the game. In a series where the margins between victory and defeat were so thin, the Orioles catching position group being almost completely worthless at the plate stands out as a particularly glaring weakness that contributed to the series loss.

It wasn't just a problem in this most recent series against the Braves. In the Orioles' previous series against the Red Sox, the Orioles' emergency catching duo did literally nothing at the plate. Since Adley and Basallo both hit the IL, the Orioles' backup catcher tandem of Chadwick Tromp and Sam Huff has combined to go 1-24 at the plate with 14 strikeouts, just one walk, and no extra-base hits. Brutal stuff.

It is not really Huff and Tromp's fault that they are so bad. They are not supposed to be the Orioles' primary catching duo. The Orioles signed them to have in case one of Rutschman or Basallo got injured, although the possibility of them both being injured at the same time always existed; the likelihood of that was small enough that it couldn't really be planned for.

It is time for the Orioles to press the Creed Willems button

That doesn't mean that the Orioles have to just sit back and let Huff and Tromp flounder at the plate and cost the Orioles games. The Orioles have other catching options, and it is time to unleash them.

Orioles catching prospect Creed Willems has had a breakout season at triple-A this year. Willems was on a rehab assignment when Rutschman and Basallo both got hurt, so it made sense not to call him straight from an assignment, but now he's back in triple-A, and he went 2-4 yesterday for the Tides.

The jump from the majors to the minors is harder now than ever, so it would be unfair to expect Willems to come up and put up the .256/.353/.420 slash line he's currently rocking in the minors, but the bar for him to clear to be an offensive upgrade over Huff and Tromp is on the floor. Even if he were to really struggle, he could almost certainly do better than 1-24 with 24 Ks.

Willems is not a great defensive catcher, so calling him up and turning over the catching position to him could get a little dicey at times, but the Orioles lineup has been in a coma without Rutschman and Basallo, and the pulse Willems could provide should be worth the occasional defensive lapse. The Orioles can keep one of Tromp or Huff around to catch late in games where the Orioles already have a lead so that a Willems defensive gaff doesn't propel a comeback.

The Orioles' catching position is currently very blocked, as are the first base and DH positions, so it's hard to imagine Willems being an Oriole long-term, but this could be a great opportunity for him to come up and make a case that the Orioles should consider making him a part of their future. If they still can't find room for him, then he's also a candidate to be moved at the deadline.

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