News

Orioles Catcher Caleb Joseph Placed On DL With Groin Injury; Francisco Pena Recalled

The Baltimore Orioles placed backup catcher Caleb Joseph on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with a testicular injury.

Orioles Catcher Caleb Joseph Placed On DL With Groin Injury; Francisco Pena Recalled

Joseph, 29, was injured after being struck in the groin by a foul ball during the eighth inning of Monday’s 7-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Oriole Park. He underwent surgery late Monday night.

 Second on the depth chart behind Matt Wieters, Joseph was batting .182 in 23 games, 19 of which he has started as backup for Wieters.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of sports news in your in-box.
We find the sports news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter declined to go into detail regarding the surgery, but he stated the urologist decided on surgery after Joseph’s symptoms were deemed too severe. Given the rarity of the injury, Showalter was unable to give a date or timetable for the catcher’s return.

“I know what they thought but there’s not a whole lot of history that says, ‘If you have this done and you’re a catcher when are you going to be able to catch again?'” Showalter said. “Obviously, not before 15 days.”

The team recalled catcher Francisco Pena from minor-league team Triple-A Norfolk to replace Joseph. The self-described defensive catcher is batting .200 in 24 games with the Tides this season, but he has hit safely in five of the past six contests, batting .353/.421/.353 (6-for-17) in that stretch. Pena has nine total games of major league experience, all with Kansas City. He went 1-for-7 in eight games with the Royals last season.

Pena, 26, reportedly didn’t know of Joseph’s injury on Monday night, so naturally he was surprised when he received a call around 10:30 am ET on Tuesday from Norfolk manager Ron Johnson, who told him he was heading to Baltimore. He said he feels comfortable playing there because he has become familiar enough with the Orioles players by now.

“It helps me a lot because I know everybody here,” Pena said. “I caught all the guys in the bullpen; I caught all the starters here. So I have a pretty good idea of what they got, what they throw, what they like to do, what are their tendencies.”

The Orioles may rely on Pena often while Jospeh recovers, since Weites has only caught three consecutive games once since undergoing surgery himself in June 2014. Although Pena has only started one game with the Royals– a 6-0 loss on Sept. 25, 2015–Showalter doesn’t plan to have Weiters catch more often.

The Orioles (28-22, 2nd in AL East), who also lost to the Red Sox (32-20) 6-2 on Tuesday, will host Boston’s team again on Wednesday night.

PHOTO: SARASOTA, FL – FEBRUARY 28: Caleb Joseph #36 of the Baltimore Orioles poses during photo day at Ed Smith Stadium on February 28, 2016 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Pablo Mena

Writer and assistant editor for usports.org. NY Giants and Rangers fan. Film and TV enthusiast (especially Harry Potter and The Office) and lover of foreign languages and cultures.

Recent Posts

Paul George Exits With Knee Injury As 76ers Fall To 2-12 In Loss To Grizzlies

With their big three finally back in action Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers suffered another setback…

10 hours ago

VIDEO: Nike Pays Tribute to Rafael Nadal With 30-Foot Projection In Front of Eiffel Tower

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tny--EWynOQ Nike paid tribute to Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal with a 10-meter-tall animated display…

1 day ago

VIDEO: Rafael Nadal Gets Emotional Tribute as He Retires From Tennis

https://youtu.be/dtJoJz9hC48 Tennis legend Rafael Nadal bid a heartfelt goodbye to his devoted Spanish fans as he brought…

1 day ago

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Olympic Fencer Eli Dershwitz Explains The Art Of Fencing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DQ9Rxhnuer4 U.S. Olympic fencer Eli Dershwitz shed light on the critical skills necessary in fencing…

2 days ago

Two Bears Offensive Linemen Return To Practice, Caleb Williams Desperate For Blocking

Two offensive linemen for the Chicago Bears returned to practice, a massive step in the…

3 days ago

VIDEO: UFC Heavyweight Champion Performs Viral Trump Dance In New York

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/s2g9t_33Myw President-elect Donald Trump received a warm welcome from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter Jon…

4 days ago