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Baltimore Orioles Designate Catcher For Assignment
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- Baltimore Orioles Designate Catcher For Assignment
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Baltimore Orioles have had to shake up their catcher room with Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo landing on the injured list last week.
Just last Sunday, the team selected Sam Huff's contract from Triple-A Norfolk prior to claiming fellow catcher Yohel Pozo off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals four days later.
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However, the Orioles have decided to designate the 28-year-old Huff for assignment today while recalling Pozo from Double-A Chesapeake as the corresponding move.
With Baltimore going 51-55 overall and ranking fourth in the AL East, they could not afford to let Huff figure things out at the plate especially as they are also 11.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays .
"Our job, for us, is to go out there and give the city and the fans something they can stand behind and have pride in," manager Craig Albernaz said, according to MLB.com. "And right now, we're coming up short."
So far in July, Huff has been hitting well below the Mendoza line. Most recently, he went 0-for-1 in the team's series finale against the Atlanta Braves on Sunday.
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Furthermore, Huff struggled against the rival Boston Red Sox , batting .138 and .129 over two games.
These figures were a steep regression from his turn in the lineup on April 15 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he batted .250 and knocked in an RBI.
Meanwhile, Pozo has had a much better track record. Before being waived by St. Louis , the 29-year-old was batting .242 while recording eight hits and knocking in five RBIs.
Pozo also had an impressive rookie season with the Texas Rangers in 2021, hitting .284 while tallying 21 hits, nine RBI and three walks. He also managed a .312 on-base percentage before spending the next few seasons grinding his way through the minors until he ended up signing with the Cardinals in 2025.
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"I've just been working to put up good numbers so I can have a job and insurance to take care of my son and my family," Pozo told Jennifer Bubel of AS USA.
His Chesapeake numbers have lived up to that thus far. He has batted .250 while recording a .250 on-base percentage, two hits, one double and one RBI.
Now, Pozo will look to find long-term stability in the majors as Baltimore heads on the road for a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers who are coming off a split with the Kansas City Royals .
