Adley Rutschman unlikely to make Orioles' Opening Day roster due to triceps strain

Orioles

Rutschman unlikely to make Opening Day roster due to triceps strain

/ by Bijan Todd

Orioles

One of the top prospects in baseball will have to wait to make his Major League debut.

Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman will be shut down for what the club hopes to be 2-3 weeks with a right triceps strain, per Orioles beat reporter Zachary Silver.

Adley Rutschman has a right triceps strain, Brandon Hyde said, and will be shut down for some time. Hope is a 2-3-week absence before he returns, but his chances for the Opening Day roster now appear slim to none.
— Zach Silver (@zachsilver) March 16, 2022

The good news, at least for Rutschman and the O’s, is that the injury does not appear to be long-term and the 24-year-old should be able to return to action sometime around mid-April.

The Baltimore Sun reported earlier this week that Rutschman was dealing with elbow soreness, but at the time the club hoped it wouldn’t preclude him from more than a few days of spring training. Baltimore has since bumped up his injury status, and now he is unlikely to suit up on April 8 vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.

It’s an unfortunate bit of news for the Orioles, as the new Major League CBA “incentivizes teams to promote their best prospects when they're ready, rather than when it is most financially convenient, with draft-pick rewards,” per CBS Sports.

Baltimore fans have been clamoring to see the 2019 No. 1 overall pick suit up in orange and black for years now. Since signing for the highest MLB draft signing bonus in history at $8.1 million, Rutschman has bounced around the minor leagues, most recently slashing .285/.397/.502 with 23 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A in 2021, per the Sun.