The Orioles announced today that they have selected the contract of catcher Chadwick Tromp. Fellow catcher Maverick Handley has been placed on the seven-day concussion injured list. Infielder Ryan Mountcastle has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot.
Handley’s injury occurred during a scary incident in yesterday’s game against the Yankees, as seen in this video from MLB.com. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. on second base in the second inning, DJ LeMahieu hit a single to left field. With Chisholm trying to score, Colton Cowser came up throwing to the plate but his throw was up the third base line. Handley ran to field the ball and collided with Chisholm, dropping the ball and getting knocked to the ground. Gary Sánchez came into the game to replace him.
Handley had just been recalled to the majors the day prior, with Adley Rutschman landing on the IL due to a left oblique strain. It’s unclear how long the O’s expect Handley to be out of action but it seems like the club will have to go at least a week with both Rutschman and Handley on the shelf.
That has led to Tromp retaking a spot on the roster to share the catching duties with Sánchez. Tromp also spent a few days on the roster at the end of May. At that time, Sánchez was on the IL due to wrist inflammation and Rutschman had a concussion scare of his own. Rutschman was able to return to catching a few days later, which got Tromp bumped off the roster, though he returned to the O’s on a fresh minor league deal.
Tromp has generally been a solid defender behind the plate, with decent offense in the minors but not so much in the majors. From the start of 2022 to the present, he has a .255/.336/.422 line and 100 wRC+ at the Triple-A level. His time in the majors has led to a .219/.229/.375 line and 56 wRC+, though in 166 plate appearances scattered over six different seasons. He is out of options, which led Atlanta to cut him earlier this year. That led Tromp to the O’s, though he’s only been able to get brief roster time in emergencies.
As for Mountcastle, he landed on the 10-day IL at the end of May due to a right hamstring strain. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that he would miss eight to twelve weeks. His 60-day count is retroactive to his initial IL placement, so he can be reinstated at the end of July, though he’s going to be on the shelf past then.
Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images
Here come the comments.
Yes. We needed a Chadwick Tromp update. There’s still a chance he might appear with all 30 teams this year!
And here’s that comment you were expecting:
Yet again, kudos on the photo selection with this article. Love the subtly funny ones
When I read the names Chadwick Tromp and Maverick Handley, I thought I had mistakenly opened a Charles Dickens novel.
Never mind Ryan Mountcastle!
Him too!
Make the Orioles great again.
It was a rough collision for Maverick. Full catchers gear and still did a helicopter spin. Hope he recovers quickly
CALL UP BASALO!!!!!
The bat is probably ready but he is 20 and has only played 16 games at C in AAA this year. They probably want to call him up on their terms
Chadwick hit watch so far 0-9 but consistent in K’s between ATL and Balt
has a way to go to get to Campusano’s streak
He’ll be DFA in about 2hrs
Tromp is going to drop some bombs here pretty soon.
Chance Cisco is batting .240 for the Chicago Dogs. I’m sure he’d love a call.
O’s have The Tromp Card, no one can beat us!
Mountcastle’s value has decreased steadily since what looks like the best time to have traded him in hindsight – after the 2023 season. Further still with the 2 HR in 200 plate appearances before going down. I don’t think there will be much offered for him and he’s likely still on the team at the end of the season.
O’Hearn is probably the only Oriole who will generate trade interest, and that’s with the known platooning limitations and career body of work. Still hitting .300+ with .867 OPS. Mullins, Eflin, and Sugano don’t look as good today as they did in early May. Morton has looked better the last several outings, but given age and contract I am highly doubtful.
Teams will inquire about the young, controllable core and will probably be answered with a dial tone. If another team really is high on someone like Kremer or Rogers or Mountcastle, and willing to give up something significant, I would say go for it.
I don’t think a fire sale is coming at the deadline unless they want torches and pitchforks on Eutaw St. But they have to go 20-10 to even get back to .500 at the deadline, extremely hard to see buying and a contender’s mindset for 2025.
So much for trading Mountcastle.
I think he gets DFA’d. Beginning of season, story here about him being on the blocks. No takers? Cut him loose?
Love “Memorialstaduim” handle.