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