He’s only 21, but Samuel Basallo strode into Camden Yards on Thursday evening looking less like a rookie catcher and more like the next pillar of the Orioles’ future.

The announced crowd of 18,061 knew it, too.

On a night when opportunities to cheer were difficult to find, the roars for Basallo stood out.

When his name was called during lineup introductions, Basallo drew the loudest applause, a standing ovation that was louder than the cheers for his established teammates. Baltimore fans weren’t just welcoming a prospect-turned-rookie home. They were anointing Basallo, along with fellow rookie Dylan Beavers.

The sudden urgency for Basallo, however, comes from the loss of catcher Adley Rutschman, who was placed on the injured list Thursday with a right oblique strain. Rustchman, the Orioles’ most recognizable star, is expected to be out for several weeks, and his absence leaves a massive hole both behind the plate and in the middle of the lineup.

In an ideal world, Basallo would have eased into the majors, starting for Rustchman every other day at catcher while also appearing occasionally at first base and designated hitter.

Instead, his full-time opportunity has arrived early.

Basallo, in his home debut Thursday against the Astros, looked anything but overwhelmed. Moments before Brandon Young’s first pitch, Basallo shook hands with home plate umpire Mike Estabrook. During the opening frame, he shared brief exchanges and smiles with Houston veterans Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve.

Basallo later walked to the plate with “Misericordia” by Onell Diaz & Farruko blaring through Camden Yards, a mix of rhythm and Spanish beats that seemed to match his presence and poise.

Basallo’s box score (1-for-4 with a single) won’t tell his complete story.

His first at-bat ended with a flyout to right after an ambitious first-pitch swing. He grounded out to third his second time up. He laced a 102.8 mph single to center field in the sixth, helping spark a bases-loaded rally that was ultimately snuffed out.

The rookie slugger is certainly swing happy; Basallo put the ball in play in all four of his plate appearances, registering three hard-hit balls (95 mph exit velocity or higher). Behind the plate, he made a throwing error when he sailed a ball past Gunnar Henderson’s outstretched glove at second base.

But then came the response.

On the ensuing play, Basallo scooped up a swinging bunt in front of the left side of the plate and fired a strike to first to record an out. Within the span of a couple minutes, Basallo redeemed his mistake with timely execution.

“[Basallo’s] an awesome player,” said Beavers, who became the sixth Oriole to homer in his first home plate appearance. “He’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen on the field. I’m excited to see how he does, just compile more at-bats here.

“I’m pretty confident his success will carry over.”

What stood out just as much was Basallo’s composure with new teammates, both in the public eye and behind closed doors. When Young gave up a home run to Christian Walker in the opening frame, Basallo walked the starter off the mound with encouragement. When Young surrendered another homer to Yainer Diaz in the third inning, Basallo approached the mound and consoled the 27-year-old pitcher again.

Inside the clubhouse, Basallo’s locker is housed next to Gary Sánchez, an 11th-year veteran catcher and fellow native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

When Basallo strolled into the home clubhouse for the first time, he fist-bumped pitcher Tomoyuki Sugano and interpreter Yuto Sakurai, already fitting in with ease. And when asked to do his pregame interview, Basallo chose to speak in English rather than his native Spanish. This particular moment was a small decision, but a telling one.

“I just feel great, great to be here” he said. “Happy to be here. I’m just excited and ready to give my 100% every time. …Each day, I’ve been feeling more confident.”

Basallo appears determined to adapt, to lead, to grow into the spotlight.

The Orioles have slotted Basallo sixth in the batting order for all three of his starts, a subtle sign of trust in his bat. His power has long been his calling card. Ahead of his big league call-up this past Sunday, Basallo compiled a .270 batting average with 23 home runs over 76 games at Triple-A Norfolk.

Even before Thursday’s game, his power was on display. During batting practice, Basallo mashed four consecutive home runs off tosses from bench coach Robinson Chirinos. Assistant general manager Sig Mejdal and international scouting chief Koby Perez were stationed close by, studying every swing, likely exuding pride in this front office’s first international signee to make the big leagues.

Basallo’s father, Jairo Fernando, entered Gate E at Camden Yards at precisely 5:30 p.m. Sporting his son’s old No. 72 spring training jersey, Jairo Fernando beamed as he took his seat, roughly 20 rows behind home plate. Thursday served as another proud moment for Basallo’s father, who last weekend delivered the news to Samuel that he was headed to the majors.

The Orioles lost to the Astros on Thursday, but the 7-2 score almost felt secondary.

What mattered most was the sight of a 21-year-old rookie — all 6-foot-4 and 200-plus pounds of him — standing tall behind the plate, making errors, correcting his mistakes, steadying his teammates, and looking like he belonged here.

Have a news tip? Contact Josh Tolentino at jtolentino@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200, x.com/JCTSports and instagram.com/JCTSports.