The right knee injury Gary Sánchez sustained last weekend could end his Orioles season after just 29 games played for the club. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the right PCL sprain will sideline Sánchez for eight to 10 weeks, and with about 12 weeks remaining in the regular season, a comeback will be a near impossible task.

Sánchez joined this winter to supply Baltimore with a right-handed-hitting backup catcher, yet his season was immediately paused when a left wrist injury held him out from late May to the middle of June. Upon his return, Sánchez went on a hot streak at the plate, but his knee sprain cuts it short at a vital time for the Orioles.

“It is going to be tough,” Mansolino said. “He’s been swinging the bat so good. He hit a lot of big homers and carried us in a lot of ways.”

Sánchez is hitting .231 with a .715 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, but his recent results are much improved. Since returning June 14, Sánchez is batting .295 with a .922 OPS.

Baltimore has suffered a cascade of catching injuries. Sánchez joins catchers Adley Rutschman (oblique), Maverick Handley (concussion) and Chadwick Tromp (back strain) on the injured list, and the result is the recent additions of Jacob Stallings and Alex Jackson to the organization.

Those injuries extend beyond just the catchers, as first baseman Ryan Mountcastle (hamstring strain), left-handers Cade Povich (hip) and Keegan Akin (shoulder), and right-hander Zach Eflin (back) are also on the injured list. Before them, infielders Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and Jorge Mateo have all missed various lengths of time; outfielders Colton Cowser and Tyler O’Neill have also been absent.

“I don’t think we’ve been at full strength yet this year, if you go back and look at spring training, not having Gunnar the initial week,” Mansolino said. “It’s just kind of the hand that we’ve drawn and we’re going to continue to compete.”

Stallings and Jackson are learning a pitching staff as quickly as possible. Baltimore acquired Stallings on a minor league deal June 24. The Orioles added Jackson on July 6 by trading international bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash considerations to the New York Yankees.

Stallings came through with a two-run double to expand the Orioles’ extra-innings lead Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, while Jackson has yet to appear.

“[Stallings] also has, I guess, like a built-in Rolodex of major league hitters already, he’s been in the major leagues so long,” Mansolino said. “He kind of knows a lot of the weaknesses of hitters around the league, and he’s got to kind of learn how to match that with our pitchers’ strengths and his general intelligence and his understanding of the position are probably going to expedite that.”

The Orioles do have catching prospect Samuel Basallo waiting in Triple-A for an opportunity. His bat appears to be ready for the step up in competition. Basallo is hitting .253 with a .919 OPS for Norfolk, but he has only caught 21 games this season, which is a potential factor in why Baltimore is giving the 20-year-old more time to prepare.

News and notes

• Rutschman took dry swings Tuesday, meaning he swung the bat without hitting a ball. The intensity was light. Mansolino said the Orioles would see how Rutschman feels in the next few days as he slowly increases batting intensity.
• Povich said he received a second opinion from a hip specialist in Nashville, and it lined up mostly with the Orioles’ viewpoint. His left hip discomfort cropped up again on a rehab assignment at Norfolk. Povich said he’s hopeful for another rehab assignment soon.
• Right-handers Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells are in Florida as they near a return from elbow surgeries. Bradish is approaching a third live bullpen session, and Wells his first.