The status of Jorge Mateo’s dislocated elbow remains unknown as the Orioles wait for its swelling to dissipate, but the injured second baseman is hopeful he can return this season.
“I do have that confidence,” Mateo said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones before Saturday’s game against the San Diego Padres. “Ultimately, we’ll have to see what’s going to happen and what the final decision is going to be, but I do want to play again this season.”
Manager Brandon Hyde said Friday that the Orioles need the swelling in Mateo’s elbow to “go down” before he undergoes more tests to determine whether surgery — and perhaps a longer recovery timeline — is needed.
“We still don’t have anything concrete,” said Mateo, who will remain with the Orioles throughout his rehabilitation. “We’re still waiting for the team to ultimately make a decision and make a decision from there.”
Mateo’s injury Tuesday — designated a transient dislocation of his left elbow by the club — was a scary one given the awkward angle at which his elbow bent as he collided with shortstop Gunnar Henderson while attempting to field a ground ball.
“It was a difficult moment,” Mateo said. “When I saw and felt my arm bend that way, a difficult moment for me, for the team, for my family.”
Since prospect Jackson Holliday was optioned in late April, Mateo has served as the Orioles’ near-everyday second baseman. He is hitting .229 with a below-average .668 OPS.
Earlier this season, the 29-year-old speedster was enjoying a bounce-back campaign after spending the final five months of 2023 as one of the worst hitters in baseball. Before his concussion in early June, he was hitting .246 with an above-average .741 OPS while providing flashy defense at second base — the position he moved to as Henderson became Baltimore’s everyday shortstop.
However, after his return June 11, Mateo hit .205 with a meager .558 OPS, raising questions about whether his role down the stretch would diminish back into a bench player.
Both times he’s been injured, second base prospect Connor Norby was called up to replace him. Norby, who Baseball America ranks as the Orioles’ seventh-best prospect, has proven his talent at the plate in the minor leagues, but his defense remains an unanswered question. He’s 5-for-21 (.238) with two home runs in his time in the majors this season.
If Mateo is out for the season, it’s possible Norby becomes a regular at second base with Jordan Westburg filling in on days Ramón Urías plays third base. But with Holliday banging on the door from Triple-A Norfolk, it’s possible he’s the Orioles’ plan for Henderson’s double-play partner.
Holliday struggled in his first taste of the show, going 2-for-34 with 18 strikeouts in 10 games to earn a demotion back to Triple-A. But as one of the best prospects in baseball — ranked No. 2 on Baseball America’s top 100 — Holliday could be due another shot in the big leagues.
He’s hitting .274 with a .923 OPS in Triple-A this season as one of the level’s youngest players at 20 years old. In July, he’s hitting .293 with a whopping 1.019 OPS. He missed time and then served as only a designated hitter because of an elbow injury, but he’s back to playing the field on a part-time basis and could return to playing second base every day soon.
Additionally, Mateo’s speed is difficult to replace, but the Orioles might have acquired his replacement as a late-game pinch runner on Friday by adding outfielder Cristian Pache in the Austin Hays trade with the Philadelphia Phillies. Pache is not a base stealer — only four in his major league career — but Statcast rates his sprint speed in the 77th percentile.
Basallo gets a bump
If the Orioles make a splash ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, catcher Samuel Basallo is one of several top prospects in Baltimore’s farm system that other teams are eager to pry away.
The 19-year-old catcher’s 2024 season hasn’t been as dominant as his 2023 campaign, during which he jumped from Low-A Delmarva to Double-A Bowie in his first year in full-season ball. Basallo has missed time with injury and played more games at first base and DH combined than at catcher, his primary position, and he’s put up solid, but not spectacular, numbers at the plate: .268 average with a .779 OPS.
He entered the season with the chance to give the Orioles consecutive straight No. 1 prospects in baseball, following in the footsteps of Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Holliday. But he’s seen his prospect status fall ever-so-slightly on some prospect rankings — from No. 10 to No. 17 on Baseball America.
However, one prospect list gave Basallo a big bump on its midseason top 100. FanGraphs has Basallo at No. 4 — a tier higher than any other publication has him — to give the Orioles two of its top four with Holliday at No. 2. The list has Basallo ahead of several prospects who are above him on Baseball America and MLB Pipeline’s lists: Washington Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews, San Diego Padres catcher Ethan Salas, Boston Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer, Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Jordan Lawlar and Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Carson Williams.
Also on FanGraphs’ list are Coby Mayo (No. 12), Heston Kjerstad (No. 19), Chayce McDermott (No. 83) and Cade Povich (No. 92). For McDermott, who made his MLB debut earlier this week, it is his first appearance on any top 100 list this season.
Around the horn
• Albert Suárez is starting Sunday’s series finale against the Padres, Hyde said. Newly acquired right-hander Zach Eflin is expected to arrive in Baltimore on Saturday night and throw a bullpen session to determine when to have him make his Orioles debut. He would be rested enough to start one of the doubleheader games Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, but Hyde said it’s up to Eflin when he’s ready for his next start. Povich and McDermott would both be available to be recalled and start Monday if needed.
• The Orioles signed Ben Vespi, the younger brother of Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Nick Vespi, as an undrafted free agent. Vespi, a right-handed pitcher, played four seasons at Central Florida and for the Frederick Keys in the MLB Draft League last year.
Baltimore Sun reporter Matt Weyrich contributed to this article.