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Orioles Claim Yohel Pozo After Samuel Basallo's Injury Forces Catcher Change
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- Orioles Claim Yohel Pozo After Samuel Basallo's Injury Forces Catcher Change
Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo was placed on the 10-day injured list on July 21 with right shoulder inflammation. He aggravated the injury in a July 19 game at the Houston Astros . His earliest possible return would be after the calendar turns to August.
To make matters worse, Basallo's injury immediately followed fellow catcher Adley Rutschman 's move to the IL. He was placed there on July 20 with left wrist inflammation.
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This season, both catchers have been terrific for the Orioles while splitting time behind the dish and at designated hitter . They have each hit to an OPS over .750, combined for 24 home runs and have played in a combined 153 out of a possible 206 games.
Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (29) © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Basallo in particular has Baltimore excited. The 21-year-old inked an eight-year, $67 million contract with the team last August after only a week in the major leagues. He did not have the best start to his career in 2025, but has rebounded this season.
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Basallo has appeared in 86 games, 46 at catcher, seven at first base and 33 at designated hitter. The left-handed slugger is slashing .241/.305/.450 (.755 OPS) with 16 home runs and 46 RBIs.
With his move to the IL, the Orioles decided to make a move on the catching front. On Thursday, it was reported by Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat that they picked up catcher Yohel Pozo off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals .
The 29-year-old Pozo has played parts of three seasons in MLB . Across 106 games, he is slashing .247/.273/.363 (.636 OPS) with six home runs and 24 RBIs. Pozo is average defensively, accumulating one fielding run value in 353 ⅓ innings at the position (h/t FanGraphs ).
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While Pozo is not the most decorated catcher in baseball, he does hit better than the options the Orioles currently have on the roster. Between Chadwick Tromp and Sam Huff, neither have an OPS of even .450 this season.
Baltimore is 50-53, fourth place in the American League East and nine and half games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays . However, they are not far behind in the Wild Card race. They need Basallo and Rutschman back as soon as possible.
Related: Orioles Facing Troubling Development After Samuel Basallo News
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
