Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is having an incredible, All-Star season this year. However, he was forced to miss Friday's 10-12 loss to the Boston Red Sox with a potentially concerning injury.
After the game, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde addressed Rutschman's absence from the lineup to Luke Jones of WNST.
“He was hitting probably 30, 45 minutes before the game in the cage, and his back started bothering him,” Hyde said. “We took him out of the lineup there. Late scratch, and [James McCann] caught. He's day to day right now — I'm hoping. We'll see.”
The Orioles have already been decimated by injuries lately. Third baseman Jordan Westburg is out with a broken hand, second baseman Jorge Mateo is out with an elbow injury and starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is out with a shoulder injury. If Rutschman is forced to hit the injured list due to this recent back issue, the Orioles' depth would truly be tested.
The good news for the Orioles is that like Hyde said, Rutschman is currently day-to-day. It's normal for catchers to pick up knocks here and there and have to miss games, so if that's all this is then it should be nothing to worry about. However, if it ends up as something more serious, it could be time to panic.
Rutschman does not have any history of back issues, so it very well could just be a one-off.
The Orioles need Adley Rutschman healthy
In just his third season in the Major Leagues, Rutschman has already shown that he is one of, if not the best catcher in all of baseball. This season, Rutschman is hitting .267/.332/.424 with 17 home runs, 69 RBI and has been tasked with managing a pitching staff that is constantly changing due to injuries and trades. A plus-defender at a premium position, the Orioles would miss Rutschman's production on both sides of the field.
The Orioles are currently just one game behind the New York Yankees in the AL East with about a month and a half left in the regular season and are fighting to take back the division lead earn a first round bye to the Division Series in the postseason.
Having an elite catcher like Rutschman is one of the biggest advantages a team can have. The Orioles need Rutschman to be able to be in the lineup at catcher every day if they want to catch the Yankees in the division and be legitimate World Series contenders.
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