The Baltimore Orioles were a team expected to be a contender for the 2025 campaign. As the mid-way point of May is upon us, those expectations do not seem to be the case. Star catcher Adley Rutschman is also off to a rough start.

The Orioles are at the bottom of the division and have the 4th worst record in the league. At 15-27, the team has lost three straight games and eight of their last 10. Gunnar Henderson, Ryan O'Hearn, Cedric Mullins, and Emmanuel Rivera seem to be the only hitters not in a slump right now.

Rutschman is a star catcher and should be hitting the ball better than his numbers show. There is no two ways around it. You could make an argument that his production has decreased since his rookie year, and well, you wouldn't be wrong. The former top prospect had a 5.4 WAR in his rookie season, and it has dropped down ever since. In 2023, his WAR was 4.3, and last year it was just 3.4. As of now, his 0.3 WAR is extremely low, and while that statistic will eventually rise, it is on pace to continue the trend.

Despite this, I expect his numbers to increase, and the rising star will bounce back.

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Playing the catcher position is not easy. It takes a toll on your body, and it could be affecting him at the plate. In 140 ABs, Rutschman has 28 hits and 16 runs scored. He is hitting .200 with four homers and 11 RBIs. The slugging needs to improve. He is slugging just .329, which is by far the lowest of his career. He slugged over .435 in his first two seasons. The extra-base hits will come. He has just nine on the season but plays in a hitter-friendly ballpark in Camden Yards.

The good news is that he is not striking out at the rate everyone else is in the lineup. His 24 strikeouts on the season are the third-lowest among regular players in the lineup. Furthermore, he has walked 19 times, which is the second most on the team behind Mullins. As long as Rutschman keeps making contact and putting the ball in play, then he will succeed.

Rutschman needs his teammates to improve as well, and the team to start winning games. The momentum needs to shift. Once it does, the star catcher will bounce back.