BALTIMORE — Might the Orioles be playing their final games at Camden Yards this weekend before the promotion of star catching prospect Adley Rutschman to the majors?
Following his second straight two-hit game at Double-A Bowie on Thursday, Rutschman will move to Triple-A Norfolk and play with the Tides at Nashville beginning Friday night. The rain-heavy local forecast this weekend could have factored into the decision after only three games with the Baysox, but the 24-year-old had been expected to join Norfolk next week after beginning his rehab assignment with four games at High-A Aberdeen last week. In seven contests since returning from the triceps strain that sidelined him for all of major league spring training, the switch-hitting Rutschman has gone 11-for-25 with five doubles, two runs batted in, four walks, one strikeout, and a 1.157 on-base plus slugging percentage.
It’s worth noting the Orioles will return home from their next road trip to host the New York Yankees on May 16, a date on which many observers were already speculating as his potential major league debut. Of course, general manager Mike Elias and the organization aren’t going to tip their hand just yet, but Rutschman batted .312 with five home runs, 20 RBIs, and an .896 OPS in 185 plate appearances for Norfolk last year and has been regarded by many as ready for the majors for quite some time with only the canceled 2020 minor league season and the Orioles being in no hurry to start his service clock slowing his arrival.
In a move that was a little more of a surprise, Baltimore is also moving pitching prospect DL Hall to Norfolk after the 23-year-old lefty allowed two runs and three hits while striking out six batters in 3 1/3 innings for the Baysox on Thursday. Hall hasn’t yet pitched at the Triple-A level in his professional career after a stress reaction in his left elbow limited him to just seven starts for Bowie last season. After remaining in Sarasota for extended spring training for a few weeks, Hall struck out six in four scoreless innings for Aberdeen in his 2022 debut last week.
While Rutschman’s arrival in Baltimore is looking more and more imminent, the Orioles are trying to walk the line between Hall’s development and innings in 2022 after the elbow injury limited him to just 31 2/3 frames last season. Still, no one questions whether his talents are worthy of the majors with many expecting the call to come later this summer.
“It’s an imperfect science on when they’re ready,” said manager Brandon Hyde about the process of promoting prospects to the majors. “Everyday players who are All-Stars right now, I’ve seen them get sent back when you felt like it was a slam dunk that they’re ready. And I’ve seen it the other way around too where maybe this guy might not be ready, but he comes and does extremely well. There’s not a perfect science to it. There’s so much that goes into breaking into the big leagues and having success, and it’s really tough to predict, so you do the best you can.
“You think they’re ready physically, you think they’re ready mentally, they’ve accomplished a level where possibly they don’t need any more at-bats in Triple-A or innings in Triple-A, and you feel like they’re ready to compete in the big leagues. It’s not an overnight decision. It takes a while, and you make the best decision you can for the player.”
Rutschman and Hall will be joining top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez at Norfolk, making this an exciting time for both the Tides and the Orioles. Baltimore promoted its third-best pitching prospect, Kyle Bradish, to the majors last week, and the 25-year-old right-hander has posted a 5.40 ERA over his first two starts covering 10 innings.
