Jon Meoli: Samuel Basallo’s ‘uncomfortable’ wrist issue made for an uncomfortable week for the Orioles

It was clear Thursday afternoon that whatever happened with Orioles rookie slugger Samuel Basallo these last few days was finished.

The Orioles had a later report time than usual, given the 7:05 p.m. start against the Mariners and the lack of batting practice on the schedule, so Basallo, like many of the other hitters on the team, eased into the afternoon.

All that was different from the rest of the week, of course, was that he was in the starting lineup, catching and batting fifth. Manager Craig Albernaz said Basallo’s “been looking great — a great few days of great work and stuff,” welcoming both Basallo and Adley Rutschman, who was out three days with a left hamstring issue, back to the fold.

Asked how he hoped to move forward from what became three days out of the starting lineup for Basallo under circumstances that are still a bit fuzzy, Albernaz simply talked about how the whole team was ready for Thursday’s game and in a good headspace.

If you are wondering why any of this is remarkable, bless you. It’s been a weird week around these Orioles, and the explanation you’re about to get is only going to leave you even more curious.

Basallo left Sunday’s loss in Toronto after appearing to injure his wrist trying to apply a tag at home plate as the game unraveled for the Orioles in the sixth inning. He caught the seventh before Leody Taveras pinch-hit for him with the go-ahead run on first base and two outs in the eighth.

It turns out Basallo has a bone growth in his wrist that Albernaz described as “something that’s going to be uncomfortable.” He meant the physical issue itself. It more aptly described the rest of the week.

He was out of the lineup that day, even as Albernaz told the media Basallo was fine. He said Basallo is in the process of “knowing his body and playing through some things and knowing that he can play, so it’s one of those things we’re going to have to learn on the fly.”

After praising Basallo’s talent and impact, Albernaz called “knowing how to play through some pain and not being 100% all the time” another step in Basallo’s development.

That night, Basallo came off the bench to hit in the eighth and caught the ninth.

A day later, Basallo pushed back on that to The Baltimore Sun and told reporters he has been dealing with the wrist issue for years. Basallo again came off the bench that night, getting two at-bats and catching three innings in an extra-inning loss.

On Wednesday, Albernaz said Basallo was again available off the bench and had been putting in good work but that he was out of the lineup because the team was “doing what’s best for Sammy,” even though he’d been “doing great.” Albernaz said it was his decision and that, “sometimes, you have to make decisions where it’s not popular decisions but ultimately it’s what’s best for the team and the players moving forward.” Basallo went unused off the bench Wednesday before returning to the lineup Thursday.

I wish it was simple to explain what he’s returning from. Even while disclosing a medical issue that was aggravated in front of our eyes, he was declared fine and played the next two days; if he was physically ruled out, he’d have been in a team-issued batting practice shirt the way Rutschman was.

Basallo wasn’t explicitly benched either, though Albernaz clearly made an active choice to start third catcher Sam Huff three days in a row and was sanguine in doing so, even as the Orioles lost the first two of those games.

So it’s over — whatever it was — and absent all the facts I’m called back to the initial description of what he was dealing with: something that’s uncomfortable.

No arguing that. I’ve asked enough people around the Orioles questions that they’d never in a million years answer, even on background, to know the “get a load of this guy” look that comes with their rebuttals. It comes with the territory, and then we laugh about it. Around this, everyone has just been a little uncomfortable.

I am, too. I understand why Albernaz wants Basallo in there, especially with Rutschman unavailable. I understand that only Basallo knows what he feels on a daily basis. I understand that, for every physical issue one can surprise himself by pushing through and overcoming, the Orioles clubhouse is full of players who pushed through things in recent years and simply weren’t the same.

I understand that all the advances in sports science and player wellness in the world won’t change the culture around baseball. Simply posting each day holds so much weight.

Orioles minority owner Cal Ripken Jr. — the Iron Man himself, he of 2,632 straight games played — strolled through the clubhouse Wednesday and had a little chat with Pete Alonso, who on Thursday played his 486th straight game. It’s a badge of honor for both.

What I don’t understand now, other than what precisely we are supposed to think reading between the lines, is whether this was all worth it. Albernaz himself acknowledged the long-term orientation of it, and considering the tenuous state of this season as the Orioles try to get back to. 500 and onto the list of credible playoff contenders, he knows better than anyone else that the only way to do that is to win games.

His hopes will be twofold: that Basallo gets back to hitting missiles all over the field and that the Orioles keep winning so this is the last anyone speaks of this week. The former would probably contribute to the latter.

And there’s no denying Albernaz needs both to happen. The Orioles need to win more than they have so he and this group get a chance to build on the foundation they’ve set since the winter. But seeing how hands-on Albernaz — a former catcher himself — has been with Basallo makes it clear he’s invested in the 21-year-old turning into the star he can be.

He holds him to a high standard and hasn’t always waited for private moments to do so. It’s not about Albernaz, but he certainly knows that turning Basallo into a consistent, high-level catcher would reflect well on him and his staff, and make the Orioles good for a decade.

That’s why he’s said the Orioles are playing the long game with Basallo. They need him to be great, not just for the sake of the eight-year contract he signed but for the sake of the franchise itself.

The short-term view, though? Uncomfortable about covers it. Hopefully this is truly the end of it.