With their season all but over now, the Baltimore Orioles are taking the rest of the season to evaluate some of their prospects from their minor league system. This morning, the team announced that catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo is being called up to make his MLB debut. Basallo, one of the more impressive prospects in the minors, will get a chance to ball out in The Show.
This promotion marks a huge milestone for Basallo, who's worked hard to put himself in this position. The Orioles posted a video of Basallo and his dad talking over the phone after his call-up. Needless to say, there were a lot of waterworks involved.
Ha llegado el momento para Samuel 🧡
⁰The moment has arrived for Samuel 🧡 pic.twitter.com/B5nJOC9vER
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) August 17, 2025
Basallo spent all of his time this season with Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate Norfolk Tides. In his time there, he posted a .270 batting average with a monstrous .966 OPS. He also hit 23 homers, potentially bringing more power to an Orioles team that badly needs more firepower from the batter's box.
It's worth noting that Basallo plays the same position as one of the Orioles' cornerstones. Despite having a bit of a down year, Adley Rutschmann is still the Orioles' catcher of the future. With the Orioles ten games away from even sniffing the final Wild Card spot, Basallo will most likely get some run as the catcher during his time in the majors. He'll also likely get some burn at first base, where his raw power would be much appreciated.
Basallo is the second Oriole prospect to be promoted to the majors recently. Outfielder Dylan Beavers, who also spent time in Norfolk, was promoted yesterday. Beavers, who's batting at a plus-.300 clip this season, adds another strong bat to this struggling lineup.
The Orioles sit at 56-67 this season, an underwhelming result after their wildly successful 2024 regular season.