Samuel Basallo’s spring was stunted by an elbow fracture. The ailment, ultimately a minor setback in what’s turned into another stellar season for the Orioles prospect, kept him away from catching for nearly two months and limited him to strictly hitting for much of March and April.

But that time away from behind the plate wasn’t wasted. Basallo, MLB’s No. 18 prospect according to Baseball America, used perhaps the lowest point of his professional career to prepare for when he would return. More time and attention were spent in Double-A Bowie’s pitcher and catcher meetings, where the 19-year-old brought his own opponent scouting reports, was unafraid to speak up and possessed a photographic memory recall.

Even with Adley Rutschman entrenched as the backstop in Baltimore, the Orioles believe Basallo will be a catcher in the major leagues and are developing him with that goal in mind. A potential conundrum looms.

For now, Basallo remains behind the plate, two levels below the big leagues. He’s backing up the organization’s belief. And he’s proving to the team why it’s worth keeping him there.

“He takes a lot of pride in it. He wants to be a catcher,” Bowie manager Roberto Mercado said. “He’ll continue to work. But at the end of the day, whatever the Orioles need him to do, I know he’ll be locked in.”

Basallo said he feels he’s improved the most in how he calls games.

That stems from additional time spent working with the Baysox’s pitching staff, many of whom he’s risen through Baltimore’s minor league system with, during the extra downtime he had amid his elbow recovery.

He brings a sharp and advanced intelligence to those sessions. The teenager can remember tendencies of opposing hitters he faced at previous minor league levels, some of whom he’s gone years without seeing, and often draws as far back to memories of playing with some opponents as children in the Dominican Republic.

The 6-foot-4 Basallo is also equipped with freakish flexibility and a wide frame to keep errant pitches in front of him. And his rocket arm keeps runners off the basepaths — he’s thrown out 31% of would-be base stealers over his career.

“I haven’t been around very many 19-year-olds like him,” Bowie pitching coach Austin Meine said. “I’m not sure many have.”

Basallo was kept from catching until April 30. In the Baysox’s 20 games before then, he played first base eight times and has logged 15 appearances there overall this season, just four fewer games than he’s played at catcher. He’s put the elbow fracture behind him at the plate, too, hitting .313 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs and a .902 OPS since returning behind the plate.

“I feel really natural at first base,” Basallo said through Mercado, also Bowie’s interpreter. “I have no problem with that. I feel super confident when I’m over there.”

Still, Basallo takes pride in his development as a catcher and wants to stick there. A lineup with both Basallo and Rutschman would be tantalizing, and their platoon splits suggest they could coexist.

The left-handed hitting Basallo touts a .307 average versus right-handers this season compared with just .227 against lefties. In 2024, Rutschman’s .419 average against left-handers towers over his .243 mark versus righties. Basallo has 15 extra-base hits against right-handers to just four versus southpaws. The switch-hitting Rutschman is the opposite, with more extra-base knocks from the right side in fewer than half the plate appearances.

“It’d be a blessing to be with [Rutschman] and learn from him,” Basallo said. “It’d be something really special if I could get up there with him.”

In his fourth season since signing with Baltimore for a then-club record $1.3 million, Basallo is proving why continuing to develop him as a catcher is worthwhile. Rutschman has solidified that role for the Orioles, but Basallo, on a fast track to the majors, will soon force a difficult decision.

“I let them make those decisions,” Mercado said. “My job is to just make sure we execute the plan for him that day and prepare him, whether that’s at first base, DH or catching. When he gets to the big leagues, I’ll leave that up to [manager Brandon] Hyde and [executive vice president and general manager Mike] Elias.”