The Orioles put rookie Brandon Young on the 15-day injured list this afternoon with a strained left hamstring and selected reliever Matt Bowman’s contract from Triple-A Norfolk. A short time later, interim manager Tony Mansolino announced that infielder Jordan Westburg was going on the 10-day IL with a sprained right ankle.

So much for Westburg’s day-to-day status.

Infielder Vimael Machín had his contract selected after spending yesterday on the 24-hour medical taxi squad, and he’s wearing No. 65. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2022 with the Athletics.

Closer Félix Bautista and catcher Gary Sánchez were transferred to the 60-day IL to create openings on the 40-man roster.

Machín will be the 63^rd player used if he gets into a game, breaking the franchise record of 62 set in 2021. He’s played in 105 games with the Tides and is batting .287/.346/.475 with 25 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 70 RBIs. He was 7-for-13 with three doubles over three games before going 0-for-5 on Sunday.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of INF Vimael Machín from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 65.
• Placed INF Jordan Westburg  (right ankle sprain) on the 10-day Injured List, retroactive to August 19.
• Transferred C Gary Sánchez (right knee sprain) to the 60-day Injured List.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

The Orioles today announced that they have agreed to terms with catcher SAMUEL BASALLO on an eight-year contract extension covering the 2026-33 seasons with a club option for 2034.

Basallo, 21, made his major league debut on August 17 at Houston and became the first player signed and developed by the Orioles’ international program under Executive Vice President and General Manager MIKE ELIAS, Vice President of International Scouting and Operations KOBY PEREZ, and Vice President of Player Development and Domestic Scouting MATT BLOOD to debut in the majors. Basallo is currently ranked the No. 7 overall prospect by Baseball America and No. 8 by MLB Pipeline while being rated the top catching prospect by both outlets.

“The agreement with Samuel is just a catalyst for the next exciting period of Orioles baseball,” said Orioles Control Owner DAVID RUBENSTEIN. “I thank Mike Elias, Koby Perez, and the entire baseball operations group for their effort and diligence in securing Samuel as a key piece of the future of the organization.”

Basallo originally signed with the Orioles as an international free agent on January 15, 2021, out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Following his debut season in the Dominican Summer League, he played stateside for the first time, spending 2022 in the Florida Complex League. Basallo gained momentum as a major prospect in 2023 after collecting 53 extra-base hits (26 doubles, 7 triples, 20 home runs) in 114 minor league games with Single-A Delmarva, High-A Aberdeen, and Double-A Chesapeake. He debuted as a top 50 overall prospect on both MLB Pipeline’s (No. 50) and Baseball America’s (No. 42) 2023 midseason prospect rankings, eventually rising into the top 10 by the middle of 2024 after participating in the All-Star Futures Game. All the while, Basallo was studying in the Orioles’ educational program, designed to help international players receive a high-school diploma. He finished his coursework in June 2024 and is one of 30 players to graduate from the program since its inception in 2020.

“We are thrilled to agree with Samuel long-term and are delighted about what this means for him and his family,” said Elias.  “His debut and this extension are big achievements for our organization, beginning with the work of our international scouting staff and carried forward successfully by our entire player development operation.  I thank the ownership group, led by David Rubenstein, for supporting our investment in Samuel as we pursue consistent success on the field, now and in the future.”

The Orioles are venturing into new territory by extending one of their young stars, and it turns out to be catcher Samuel Basallo.

The club has reached agreement with Basallo on an eight-year deal worth $67 million that also includes a club option for 2034 and escalators that make the total package worth $88.5 million. He received a $5 million signing bonus after passing his physical earlier today.

The contract represents the largest pre-arbitration extension for a catcher in major league history. And it goes to the No. 1 prospect in the organization, who turned 21 years old earlier this month and played in his fourth career game last night, and first at home.

Basallo is ranked as the No. 4 prospect overall by ESPN. Baseball America has him seventh and MLB Pipeline eighth.

The Orioles signed Basallo out of the Dominican Republic for $1.3 million in 2021, their largest bonus internationally at that time. He finally was promoted to the majors on Sunday in Houston, a day after outfielder Dylan Beavers, the No. 3 prospect in the system.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Selected the contract of RHP Matt Bowman from Triple-A Norfolk. He will wear No. 51.
• Placed RHP Brandon Young (left hamstring strain) on the 15-day Injured List.
• Transferred RHP Félix Bautista (right shoulder surgery) to the 60-day Injured List.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 40 players.

PHILADELPHIA – How about that surprising homestand? The Nationals wound up going 4-3 against the Phillies and Mets, looking pretty sharp in the process against the top two teams in the division. So what’s up next? How about a road trip to … Philadelphia and New York!

They won’t be facing the Mets again; this trip concludes at Yankee Stadium, not Citi Field. But first up, it is a rematch with the Phillies over the weekend, the Nats hoping to keep the good vibes going in a very familiar matchup.

Cade Cavalli looked great six nights ago against this same lineup, tossing seven scoreless innings on 90 pitches to earn his first major league win. It’s an entirely new challenge, though, to face the same team again, especially in back-to-back starts. Surely, the Phillies picked up on something about Cavalli in the first meeting. It’s up to the rookie right-hander (and the Nationals coaching staff) to figure out what, if any, adjustments he needs to make in the rematch.

Cavalli outdueled Taijuan Walker in that Saturday afternoon affair on South Capitol Street, and that’s who the Nationals are facing again tonight. The veteran right-hander allowed two runs over 6 2/3 innings, the big blow a two-out, two-run double by James Wood in the bottom of the fifth that accounted for all of the runs scored in the 2-0 victory.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS at PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Where: Citizens Bank Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN2, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Clear, 79 degrees, wind 5 mph out to left field

When Eli Willits took the field last night at Virginia Credit Union Stadium for Single-A Fredericksburg, he became the youngest FredNats player ever. He also became just the sixth player in his age-17 season to get a Single-A plate appearance this season, joining Andrew Salas (Marlins), Juneiker Caceres (Guardians), Stiven Martinez (Orioles), Kevin Garcia (Brewers) and Brady Ebel (Milwaukee).

Special treatment for the No. 1 overall pick. But that, of course, comes with the territory.

It was also a special debut for Willits, who went 3-for-4 with a run scored, two RBIs, a walk and a stolen base in Fredericksburg’s 10-6 win over the Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros). Impressive from easily the youngest kid out there, which is hopefully telling of a bright future.

But it was more telling that the Nationals believed the 17-year-old was ready for his professional debut after just a couple of weeks working out at the team’s spring training facility in West Palm Beach. The organization has typically been more patient with its draft picks out of high school.

Brady House, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft out of Winder-Barrow High School in Georgia, spent the rest of that summer in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League. He didn’t make his Single-A debut until April 2022.

Orioles reliever Keegan Akin was on an injury rehab assignment in the minors, like so many of his teammates this season, when he first heard about it.

Closer Félix Bautista informed the club in the seventh inning of a July 23 game in Cleveland that he couldn’t pitch. Interim manager Tony Mansolino heard someone slam the dugout phone and knew immediately that the call was troubling. Akin had the same feeling about 500 miles away in Allentown, Pa.

The only information shared by the club pertained to discomfort in the right shoulder that Mansolino described as “significant.” The Orioles didn’t downplay it, but tears in both the rotator cuff and labrum were jolting.

“I didn’t really have an idea, honestly,” Akin said. “It happened when I was on a rehab and I just heard that it wasn’t good, and from the explanation when it happened, they weren’t quite sure what it was. That’s why I think it took so long and a few extra doctor’s appointments to make sure. It’s one of those things, you’ve got to make sure what’s going on there. It’s a pretty serious injury.

“Definitely a little surprised there. It’s just unfortunate.”

Brandon Young couldn’t duplicate the drama.

Young was perfect for 7 2/3 innings in Houston, returned home tonight and allowed a hit and home run among his first four batters. The Astros didn’t let the rookie get on another roll.

Christian Walker’s two-run shot with two outs in the first inning was followed by Carlos Correa’s two-run single in the second. Houston scored three times in the third before Young retired a batter, and the Orioles stayed down in a 7-2 loss before an announced crowd of 18,061 at Camden Yards.

Young was charged with seven runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings and exited after covering first base to retire Jacob Melton on a ground ball to Coby Mayo leading off the sixth. Young came down hard on his left leg, began limping past the bag, and interim manager Tony Mansolino removed him and called for reliever Yaramil Hiraldo.

The club announced that Young had left hamstring discomfort. Depending on the severity of the injury, he could be the starter who steps aside for Kyle Bradish’s return next week.

With a chance to win a series against a playoff team, the Nationals needed a strong offensive showing against an opposing left-handed starting pitcher.

Yes, the Nats roster right now is heavy with lefty bats. And the right-handed options haven’t consistently produced. But something needed to change after David Peterson came within one inning of tossing a complete game against the Nats for the second time this season.

“We've got to do something about it,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said after Tuesday’s 8-1 loss to Peterson.

Luckily, Peterson wasn’t on the mound this afternoon. Instead it was veteran Sean Manaea, who entered the game with a 7.98 ERA over his three August starts. And it was off this southpaw that the Nats were finally able to score some runs en route to a 9-3 victory in front of an announced crowd of 20,127 on a cloudy, misty and unusually chilly August day in D.C.

Facing a 3-0 deficit in the fourth, the Nats lineup, with only three left-handed hitters, started chipping away at Manaea. They loaded the bases and got on the board thanks to a Dylan Crews groundout, but stranded two runners in scoring position, leaving a golden opportunity on the field.

One day after Orioles closer Félix Bautista underwent surgery to repair the rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder, catcher Adley Rutschman landed on the injured list again with a strained oblique and might not return in 2025.

The hits keep coming in the most negative manner.

Rutschman was scratched from Tuesday’s lineup in Boston with discomfort in his right side. He hadn’t played since Sunday in Houston.

This is the opposite side from Rutschman’s previous strain, which led to his first career stop on the injured list and cost him five weeks of the season.

Asked whether Rutschman could be out for the rest of the summer, interim manager Tony Mansolino replied, “Hard to speculate on that.”

Orioles catcher Adley Ruschman is on the injured list for the second time this season and in his career. 

Rutschman has a strained right oblique, which is the opposite side of his previous injury. He missed about five weeks the last time and is questionable to return next month. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said it's a "mild" strain.

Outfielder Daniel Johnson was activated from the taxi squad to replace Rutschman.

Mansolino said rookie Samuel Basallo will be the everyday catcher. The Orioles play eight games on this homestand and Basallo could catch five or six.

Infielder Jordan Westburg remains day-to-day with a sore right ankle. The discomfort has lessened, which brings optimism that he can avoid the IL. 

While the Nationals remain patient and cautious with Keibert Ruiz’s recovery from a concussion, they are starting to see better results from Riley Adams and Drew Millas as the backups get more consistent playing time.

Ruiz, who signed an eight-year, $50 million extension before the 2023 season, has been limited to 68 games this season while dealing with multiple concussions. The 27-year-old has been on the 7-day concussion injured list since July 8 and with 36 games remaining in the season, including today’s finale against the Mets, time is running out for him to return to the field.

Which means the Nats are getting an extensive look at Adams and Millas, albeit at the cost of the health of one of their teammates.

Both backup backstops have already or are on pace to play the most games in a single season in their short major league careers: Adams has already played 57 and Millas, although currently only at 16, is on track to surpass the 20 he played last year.

The overall numbers for Adams haven’t been strong. He’s slashing .198/.257/.356 with a .612 OPS, seven doubles, seven home runs, 17 RBIs, 13 walks and 74 strikeouts (5.7 K/BB rate). But as he’s played more consistently, he’s started to turn a corner and produce better results.

The Orioles return from their off-day to begin a four-game series against the Astros at Camden Yards, with questions lingering about a couple of players who weren’t available Tuesday night in Boston.

Infielder Jordan Westburg exited Monday’s game in the first inning with discomfort in his right ankle after stumbling as he rounded second base. He hadn’t received X-rays and the club intended to reevaluate him today.

Triple-A Norfolk infielder Vimael Machín is on the 24-hour medical taxi squad again, in case Westburg goes on the injured list for a second time. Machín has played in 105 games with the Tides and is batting .287/.346/.475 with 25 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and 70 RBIs. He was 7-for-13 with three doubles over three games before going 0-for-5 on Sunday.

Machín, who’s hitting .297/.352/.505 against right-handers, also was on the medical taxi squad Aug. 6 in Philadelphia due to Tyler O’Neill’s right wrist soreness. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2022 with the Athletics.

The Orioles have 39 players on the 40-man roster. Three catchers are part of the 26-man active roster with Rutschman joined by Samuel Basallo and Alex Jackson.

Despite a blowout loss on Tuesday, the Nationals are now in position to take this series from the Mets, thanks to last night’s 5-4 win. If they can pull it off, the Nats would find themselves as winners of five of their last eight and seven of their last 12 heading into their road trip to Philadelphia and New York.

To do so, they will definitely need better starting pitching. Over their last three games, Nationals starters have completed just 13 innings while giving up 16 runs (15 earned), 19 hits and eight walks. It’s probably not a coincidence the Nats went 1-2 in those games.

Luckily, they have their ace on the mound to try to provide them with some length. MacKenzie Gore is 5-12 with a 4.04 ERA on the season, but he’s completed six innings in each of his last two starts, allowing only a combined two runs and striking out 17. He took a hard-luck no-decision in his only start against the Mets this season back in June, when he tossed six innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts and departed the game with a 4-2 lead, only to see his team lose 5-4 in 10 innings.

Sean Manaea will make just his eighth appearance (seventh start) after his year was delayed by a right oblique strain. Overall, the veteran southpaw is 1-1 with a 4.78 ERA, but he’s posted a 7.98 ERA and the Mets are 0-3 in his three August starts.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS vs. NEW YORK METS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 4:05 p.m. EDT
TV: MASN, MLB.tv
Radio: 106.7 The Fan, DC 87.7 (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 12 mph in from center field

The Nationals signed Shinnosuke Ogasawara over the winter believing the 27-year-old left-hander – the first Japanese free agent signing in club history – could become a viable major league starter, or at worst provide ready-to-go rotation depth at Triple-A Rochester.

The plan never was to use him as a reliever. Certainly not as a late-inning, high-leverage arm.

Funny how plans change. Because over the course of the last two weeks, Ogasawara has found himself pitching in a most unexpected role. And thriving in it.

Wednesday night provided the most dramatic example yet. Handed the ball for the top of the seventh with the Nats leading the Mets by one run, Ogasawara proceeded to retire Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto and Starling Marte in order, preserving a 5-4 lead that wound up holding through the game’s final out.

“He’s on a mission,” interim manager Miguel Cairo said. “I love the passion, the energy. That’s what you’re looking for when you put someone on the mound.”

The trade deadline is a date that looms large for any professional baseball player, whether you’re at the big league level or working your way through the minor leagues. 

Very few are truly safe from any kind of movement. 

Those feeling the least secure would include anyone in the Padres organization and rising arms in the system of a winning ballclub. 

Juaron Watts-Brown, a starting pitcher in the Blue Jays’ Double-A affiliate, found himself in the latter category as the calendar inched towards August. 

“We all thought it was a possibility,” Watts-Brown told me ahead of Double-A Chesapeake’s matchup with Richmond yesterday. “Me and a couple of other guys, a couple of other guys that got traded, there was talk of like, ‘the Blue Jays are doing well, they’re probably going to go get a few pieces and we could be part of those package trades.’

By winning a third consecutive series against teams that appear to be playoff bound, the Orioles actually moved from 10 to 8 ½ games out of the final Wild Card spot going into their off-day. They passed the Twins and have only six teams ahead of them.

Only. A reminder that the task is daunting. Pray for a baseball miracle.

Anyone who says “stranger things have happened” should be challenged to start naming them.

The Orioles are 43-33 since toting that grotesque 16-34 record. They could spend the entire offseason stretching out hamstrings by kicking themselves for the slow start. They fell into a nearly impossible position but are being stubborn, winning six of their last seven games and moving eight below .500 for the first time since July 29.

They’re also living rent-free in the heads of fans who can’t believe that their teams are losing to the last-place Orioles. The venting on social media is intense, and it’s spreading to the national media. The Ringer’s Bill Simmons, with his 5.4 million followers on X, simply posted, “The Orioles can F off.”

The Nationals put themselves in position to win tonight’s game against the Mets thanks to a much-needed and improved offensive approach against Kodai Senga and another solid start by Brad Lord, at least until it nearly fell apart on him in the top of the sixth.

All of which left Miguel Cairo – and then Henry Blanco once Cairo was ejected during that same inning – to try to piece together the final 11 outs of this game with a bullpen loaded with inexperienced arms.

And then one by one, those inexperienced arms performed like seasoned veterans, four relievers coming together to deliver 3 2/3 innings of scoreless ball to secure a hard-earned 5-4 victory over New York.

"Anytime you can win a one-run ballgame is huge," right fielder Dylan Crews said. "That's what makes great teams great. ... That's a huge win for us right there, and we couldn't have done it without the bullpen."

The unlikely quartet that got the job done against one of the more imposing lineups in the National League? Cole Henry, Shinnosuke Ogasawara, Clayton Beeter and Jose A. Ferrer. That may not be how anyone would’ve drawn things up as recently as a month ago, but it’s what the Nationals have right now, so it’s what they used to beat the Mets.

Eli Willits is ready to make his minor league debut.

The Nationals are transferring this year’s No. 1 draft pick to Single-A Fredericksburg and plan for him to debut Thursday night, a source familiar with the organization’s plan confirmed.

Since signing for $8.2 million last month, Willits has been working out at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach. He arrived too late to play in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League but still got reps over the last few weeks in intrasquad games and unofficial games against other organizations that train in the vicinity.

The question all along was whether the Nationals would decide the 17-year-old shortstop was ready to play with an affiliate. They ultimately decided he is ready and will now get a brief window to watch him play against minor leaguers who in most cases are several years older than Willits.

The FredNats are home this week against Fayetteville, then embark on a six-game trip next week to Lynchburg before returning home for the season’s final week against Carolina. The Single-A Carolina League regular season ends Sept. 7, so at most Willits will play in 18 games between now and then.