Samuel Basallo was called up by the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, a fitting present for the team’s No. 1 prospect, who turned 21 this week.

MLB Pipeline ranks Basallo, a catcher/first baseman, as the No. 8 overall prospect in baseball, and he will be put right to work on Sunday.

In a youth-laden Baltimore lineup, he is batting sixth and serving as the designated hitter for the Orioles in the final contest of a three-game series with the Astros in Houston.

In corresponding moves Sunday, Baltimore reinstated outfielder Colton Cowser from the seven-day concussion injured list, transferred right-hander Zach Eflin (low back discomfort) to the 60-day injured list, and optioned outfielder Daniel Johnson and first baseman/outfielder Ryan Noda to Triple-A Norfolk.

As for Basallo, the Orioles signed the Dominican Republic native in January 2021 to a then-franchise record international signing bonus of $1.3 million.

Since then, he has appeared in 401 minor league games with a slash line of .283/.366/.498/.864 with 73 home runs and 269 runs driven in.

In 76 games this season at Norfolk, he hit 23 home runs to go with 67 RBIs and a .270 average.

By waiting until Aug. 17 to call up Basallo, the Orioles assured he will not get enough service time to lose his rookie status, preserving his opportunity to compete for American League Rookie of the Year next season.

The same is true for 24-year-old Dylan Beavers, an outfielder who made his debut Saturday for the Orioles. In a 5-4, 12-inning Orioles loss, Beavers was 1-for-5. He is the No. 3 prospect in the organization.

The Orioles head to Boston for two games with the Red Sox. Home fans will not have a chance to see Basallo and Beavers until the team returns to Baltimore Thursday for a rematch with Houston.

–Field Level Media