The Baltimore Orioles‘ biggest hopes of a rebound in 2026 might actually be with a player who has been there all along.
Adley Rutschman, the former No. 1 overall pick, hasn’t looked the part the last season-plus.
Yes, the Orioles made big signings. But if Rutschman doesn’t get over his struggles, it may not matter.
“Rutschman’s performance over his first two seasons suggested the 2019 No. 1 overall Draft pick was on his way toward becoming a perennial MVP candidate and franchise cornerstone for the Orioles, but his progress has curiously stalled,” MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan wrote in a new article on Tuesday. “The backstop has posted a 78 wRC+ in his past 161 games going back to 2024, including a career-low 91 wRC+ during a ’25 campaign that was plagued by multiple oblique strains.”
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A return to health will definitely be crucial for Rutschman’s individual chances.
Despite the struggles, though, the projection systems still believe in Rutschman.
“Rutschman is projected to be a top-five catcher in terms of WAR (4.0), with 19 homers and a 116 wRC+ to boot,” Harrigan writes. “For all of the new faces Baltimore added during the offseason, the club’s playoff hopes may depend just as much on internal improvement from its homegrown stars, so it would obviously be a welcome sight for the Orioles if that forecast were to become reality.”
The Orioles do have a young catching phenom in the big leagues, too, in the form of Samuel Basallo. But at this point, he might be more bat than glove.
It’d be ideal for Baltimore to get a return to form from Rutschman. They wouldn’t have to rush Basallo, and they’d have their leader back doing his thing behind the plate.
If Rutschman doesn’t rebound, the Orioles will have to start considering what a future may look like without him.
