Late in Monday's loss to the Red Sox, Orioles catcher Caleb Joseph took a foul ball to the groin. This is often just an occasion for uncomfortable chuckling or circumspect joking from the broadcasters, with no real lasting problems beyond the catcher getting a minute to walk off the uncomfortable feeling.
Joseph did not escape so easily on this occasion. He remained on his knees in front of home plate for a couple of minutes while being checked on by the trainer. This did not seem like the typical laugh-it-off foul ball to that area.
Sure enough, The Orioles beat crew reported that Joseph was taken to a local hospital "as a precaution." Whatever has happened to him, it's serious enough that it's going to result in a trip to the disabled list.
Triple-A Norfolk Tides beat writer David Hall signaled on Tuesday morning that Norfolk catcher Francisco Peña was heading to Baltimore to replace Joseph on the roster.
Why Peña? The answer is likely that he's the lone catcher in the minor leagues who's already on the 40-man roster. Don't expect a whole lot from him, as he's only hitting to a .491 OPS with Norfolk.
Joseph hasn't been hitting either, so at least as far as that goes, it's all a wash. With Matt Wieters taking an increasing amount of the playing time as the season moves along, it may matter less and less who is the backup catcher, anyway.
In the official announcement of the roster move, Joseph is heading to the disabled list with "a testicular injury." That is not a very specific diagnosis. Hopefully he gets well soon.