BALTIMORE — Stroll through the list of jobs in major league baseball and it is very easy to identify the toughest: Backup catcher.

Play once a week and be tasked with handling pitchers with egos, block balls in the dirt and throw out baserunners because the bat is secondary to the job description. Until, that is, the backup doesn’t hit.

Then it’s an issue.

As the Yankees, who faced the Orioles at Camden Yards on Tuesday night, rampage through the AL East on their way to the first divisional title since 2012, they have lost All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez to the injured list twice.

Sanchez was on the shelf from April 11 to April 24 with a strained left calf. He returned to the IL on July 24 with a strained left groin and is set to begin a minor league rehab assignment Wednesday night for Triple-A Scraton/Wilkes-Barre. He is expected to catch Wednesday and Thursday at Triple-A and then rejoin the Yankees in Toronto.

Nobody could argue the Yankees are better without Sanchez’s power, he led the team in homers with 24 and was third in RBIs with 58 in 77 games and his defense has improved since last year, but the club hasn’t folded without him.

In the 23 games Sanchez had been on the IL, the Yankees were 16-7; 8-3 the first time and 8-4 (through Monday) the second. In 14 games without Sanchez, Austin Romine had hit .298 (14-for-47) with three homers and 14 RBIs. Kyle Higashioka had started nine games and batted .235 (8-for-34) with a homer and four RBIs.

“More at-bats,’’ Romine said of the biggest difference between being a backup and handling the increased workload of a starter. “It’s a little easier to be more consistent when you are getting more consistent playing time.’’

According to Higashioka, who was the No. 1 catcher at SWB when Sanchez went on the IL for the second time, manager Aaron Boone’s plan of alternating catchers has helped.

“This time around, other than [Tuesday, when Romine started for the second straight night] we have been going every other day,’’ Higashioka said. “That’s nice because you don’t have to worry about timing as much.’’

According to bench coach Josh Bard, a former backup catcher in the big leagues, Boone deserves credit for finding the right matchups that allow Sanchez’s replacements to thrive.

“They are doing well and that is a testament to [Boone],’’ Bard said. “He matches them with the best possible matchups and that is tough with two right-handed hitters.’’

More regular playing time is key, but a change Romine made in June has helped him at the plate.

“I was hitting about .180 and not in a good place,’’ Romine said of the four-game series against the White Sox in Chicago when his average dipped to .196 and led to a session with hitting coach Marcus Thames. “I got with Marcus and decided to get into my legs more.’’

That often leads to more power, which was on display Monday night when Romine, who likes to hit the ball the other way, crushed a home run to left field in the second inning of a 9-6 Yankees win over the Birds.

As for splitting the games, Boone offered a simple explanation.

“I just think we have a lot of confidence in both guys,’’ Boone said. “When you split it up, I feel those guys are in a really good place. Keeping these guys fresh, obviously catching is a little more demanding. It’s a belief that both guys are going to impact us.’’

Based on the 16-7 record without Sanchez, that belief has been rewarded.