Good morning, Camden Chatters.
I’m sorry to report that the Days Since The Last Orioles Injury counter has, unfortunately, reset to zero.
Samuel Basallo was the latest member of the Birds’ young core to suffer a spring injury, leaving yesterday’s game in the top of the third inning with right side abdominal discomfort. Basallo, playing catcher, suffered the injury while making a lunging tag out of a Tigers runner at the plate. It was an impressive, athletic play, but Basallo came up grimacing and clutching
his chest after landing hard in the dirt.
Manager Craig Albernaz removed Basallo immediately, telling the media that it was simply “precautionary” since there was no reason to push him in an exhibition game. Just because it was precautionary, though, doesn’t rule out the possibility that Basallo could have an injury worth worrying about.
For now, Basallo joins Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday on the shelf, but with any luck his injury will be a nothingburger and he won’t miss the start of the regular season like those two. The Orioles seem optimistic that Basallo will be OK, but they’re going to run further tests.
It’s an unpleasant reminder that if something significant happens to your team in spring training, it’s usually bad news. It doesn’t particularly matter how well (or poorly) the team plays on the field in meaningless exhibition games; all that matters is that everyone stays healthy. And now Basallo might not be.
That’s not to say there’s nothing good happening for the Orioles. Several of their hitters look totally locked in, especially Tyler O’Neill, who’s been a spring revelation with a 7-for-9 performance, including a homer yesterday. Coby Mayo went 2-for-2 and is hitting .545, and he made a couple of slick defensive plays at third base yesterday, though he also committed his second error. Heston Kjerstad had a nice single off a tough lefty to continue his solid spring, and Jeremiah Jackson had two hits as he tries to make his case for an Opening Day roster spot.
Again, those spring performances don’t necessarily mean anything. All of those hitters’ stats will be wiped away on the first day of the regular season, and a hot Grapefruit League performance against not-fully-tuned-up pitchers isn’t guaranteed to continue once the games actually matter. But it beats the alternative.
For now, though, all eyes turn to Basallo. The Orioles should have further updates on his condition soon. Then we’ll know whether it’s time to start freaking out.
Links
The O’s have a history of making bullpen additions immediately before the start of the season, like in 2023, when they claimed Danny Coulombe three days before Opening Day. Could they do the same this year? And could it literally be Danny Coulombe again?
Minor league catcher Silas Ardoin says his name gets mispronounced all the time. Silas, my friend, I have been there.
O’s top pitching prospects are ‘gross.’ That’s a good thing – MLB.com
It’s nice to have some legitimate pitching prospects on the cusp of the majors. Last year’s Orioles rotation really was gross, and not in the good way.
I’m a sucker for these spring stories about unheralded minor league lifers trying to reach their dream of playing big league ball. I hope this isn’t the last time we’ll be reading about Eric Torres this year.
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Four ex-Orioles were born on Feb. 27: left-hander Alex Wells (29), righties Yovani Gallardo (40) and Pete Smith (60), and the late outfielder Carl Warwick (b. 1937, d. 2025).
On this date in 1988, the O’s traded veteran third baseman Ray Knight to the Tigers. The Orioles had signed Knight as a free agent after he was a World Series hero with the Mets in 1986, but he posted a mediocre .683 OPS in his lone season with the Birds.
And on this day in 1993, the Orioles signed former NL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Fernando Valenzuela, 12 years after “Fernandomania” had taken the baseball world by storm. Valenzuela was well past his prime by that point and hadn’t won a major league game in three years, but he had a fairly durable if unremarkable season with the Birds in 1993, going 8-10 with a 4.94 ERA and two shutouts in 31 starts.
