By Field Level Media
Sep 23 (Field Level Media) – The Baltimore Orioles placed rookie catcher Samuel Basallo on the seven-day injured list Wednesday due to a concussion and also announced that infielder Jackson Holliday will have surgery next week on his injured left wrist.
The Orioles recalled outfielder Heston Kjerstad from Triple-A Norfolk to replace Basallo on the 28-man active roster.
Basallo, 22, last played on Monday, when he took a foul tip off his catcher’s mask in the fifth inning and exited in the seventh of the Orioles’ 4-3 home win over the Toronto Blue Jays. The move to the injured list is retroactive to Tuesday.
“Concussions are so finicky,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Sometimes, it’s immediate, and sometimes, it kind of shows up as the night goes. And luckily, we got Sammy up when we did and the symptoms crept up at night. Obviously, you’ve seen him walking around the clubhouse. It’s a quote-unquote not a severe concussion. But during the test, there were a few boxes that he didn’t check.”
Basallo’s season ends with a .222 batting average with 18 home runs and 54 RBIs in 112 games this season. The native of the Dominican Republic also was on the IL from July 20 to Aug. 19 because of right shoulder inflammation.
“I think Sammy handled himself extremely well,” Albernaz said. “There was a lot of growth with Sammy, especially the behind the scenes, the unseen hours and the prep. … He’s such a smart kid, wants to do everything right, and he’s done a great job of navigating that.”
Holliday last played on Sept. 14, going 2-for-4 with one run scored in a 2-1 win over the host New York Mets. He was placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to Sept. 15, with left wrist inflammation.
He met with a wrist specialist in Baltimore on Saturday and he was diagnosed with a partial tear in the triangular fibrocartilage complex, MLB.com reported.
“They’ve just got to get in there and figure out how severe it is,” Holliday said. “It’s not completely torn, so that’s great. Hopefully, just go in there and clean it up and that’ll be that.”
With a recovery period of about 10 weeks, Holliday and Albernaz hope the 22-year-old will be ready for next spring training.
“It’s one of those where it’s a smaller ligament, so once they get in there, they can make a better assessment,” Albernaz said. “But a healthy offseason is always a huge aspect for any player, never mind a young player. But identifying this and getting Jackie out there earlier than later is going to help him have a better offseason.”
Holliday hit .229 with seven home runs, 30 RBIs and 12 doubles in 98 games. In his first full season in the majors last year, he hit .242 with 17 home runs, 21 doubles and 55 RBIs in 149 games.
He suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand while taking batting practice early in spring training. Holliday began the 2026 season on the IL after undergoing surgery and did not make his season debut until May 19.
Baltimore selected Holliday first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Kjerstad, 27, batted .211 (4-for-19) in 11 games this season for Baltimore. He batted .289 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 79 games for Norfolk.
The Orioles picked Kjerstad second overall in the 2020 draft out of the University of Arkansas.
(–Field Level Media)
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