Maverick Handley has been here enough times at this point that he’s not wide-eyed stepping into the Orioles clubhouse at Camden Yards. The catcher, a frequent taxi squad participant for years, has served the role of a just-in-case player dutifully.

He thought that would be the case once again Monday when he arrived from Triple-A Norfolk with all his gear and no guarantee he’d need any of it.

That’s the life of a taxi squad catcher — a nice hotel room, a few square meals, a hello and goodbye, back to the minor leagues.

It was different this time.

Shortly before Monday’s game, the Orioles placed catcher Gary Sánchez on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation. Tim Cossins, the Orioles’ major league field coordinator, walked over to Handley at his locker in the clubhouse.

“Hey, man, you’re here,” Cossins said. “Put on the cleats. Suit it up.”

“Hearing those words, I mean, they definitely hit something that’s been waiting for a while,” Handley said.

And on Tuesday evening, Handley took the field for the first time as a major leaguer. He caught the final four innings of Baltimore’s blowout loss against the New York Yankees.

When the Orioles drafted Handley in the sixth round of the 2019 draft, Handley was in class at Stanford University. Five rounds earlier, catcher Adley Rutschman became the first overall pick for Baltimore, the first selection in Mike Elias’ tenure as general manager.

Rutschman shot through the farm system and debuted in 2022. Handley has ground his way through the ranks, watching as teammates gained prospect hype and reached the major leagues. And now, Handley is near catcher Samuel Basallo, the new No. 1 Orioles prospect.

That competition could’ve swallowed Handley. Instead, the 27-year-old focused on how to make himself a valuable piece in the organization.

“The calling card for me was, you always need two catchers,” Handley said. “It’s not like if Gunnar Henderson is the guy ahead of me, he’s going to be the shortstop. You always need two catchers. And honestly, Rutschman, he’s right there in front of me. What parts of my games can I improve, and those little subtleties? It’s right there, and it 100% helped me become who I am today.”

Part of that included a crash course in adjusting to professional baseball. Handley has long been an adept defensive catcher; hitting, for many players, is the larger challenge. Handley struck out 47 times in 41 games during his first minor league experience late in 2019, and the concentrated failure prompted him to discover and address a hole in his swing path against high fastballs.

For years, he has paid his own money to attend training sessions at Driveline, an elite baseball facility, during the offseason. He sacrificed his own means to make a dream a possible reality.

Handley has been close before. When catcher James McCann was hit in the face by a pitch last year, Handley wondered if his time had come. Instead, McCann battled his way through the broken nose and never required an injured list placement.

But Monday, when coaches told him to take pregame batting practice, he wondered if this taxi squad trip might turn out differently. And then Cossins told him to put his cleats on, and he knew.

It really happened. No matter how long this lasts, Handley is a major leaguer.

“I saw him talking on the phone in the clubhouse, obviously calling people, because you could see the smile on his face,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “Those are the special moments.”