Orioles prospect Adley Rutschman is expected to be sidelined at least two to three weeks after suffering a triceps strain last week, the team said Wednesday. Rutschman, a catcher, was in the hunt to make Baltimore's Opening Day roster but most likely won't make it now.
"I think it's an extremely small blip for a guy that's gonna have a long career," manager Brandon Hyde said.
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Rutschman, who was selected by Baltimore with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, is baseball's top prospect, according to The Athletic's Kieth Law. The 24-year-old switch-hitter slashed .271/.392/.508 in Double-A last season, earning a promotion to Triple-A, where he improved to .312/.405/.490.
The Orioles signed 37-year-old catcher Robinson Chirinos to a one-year contract on Monday. He's currently the only catcher on Baltimore's 40-man roster.
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Connolly: The Adley Rutschman triceps injury is likely not a big deal, but it should cost him Opening Day
How likely was Rutschman to make the Opening Day roster before the injury?
Dan Connolly, Orioles senior writer: I think likely. The club wasn’t going to come out and say it. But Rutschman appeared to be ready after performing well offensively and defensively at Double A and Triple A in his first full season in the minors in 2021. Therefore, so long as he didn’t get hurt or look completely overmatched in spring, I think he would have been the Opening Day starter on April 8.
There is now draft capital incentive to have him play all year in the majors, and they signed Chirinos to serve as a backup and tutor. So, I think Rutschman would have been the guy to begin the season.
What does he bring to the table?
Connolly: He’s a switch-hitting catcher with power, plate discipline and advanced defensive tools. But maybe what makes him so special is, at 24, he already has highly developed leadership skills, which he honed while helping lead Oregon State to a national championship in 2018.
Catcher is probably the most difficult position to play in the majors, especially for a rookie, and so the sense is he could be a generational-type talent.
Who will back up Chirinos if Rutschman is out?
Connolly: If Rutschman isn’t out too long, this probably won’t matter much. But the club signed two catchers with brief experience in the majors to minor-league deals this offseason: Anthony Bemboom and Jacob Nottingham. Brett Cumberland is the most-advanced, in-house option. None of the three is on the 40-man roster — neither was Rutschman — so the Orioles will have to create some room there. But that was expected, anyway.