General manager Mike Elias said Monday that Rutschman could get called up this season but only "if we're heading toward a possible playoff berth," Joe Trezza of MLB.com reports.
Anything is possible, especially in a 60-game season, but it certainly seems as though Rutschman's chances of debuting this year are quite low given that the Orioles aren't expected to be anywhere close to competitive. That's hardly a surprise, as even a player of his considerable talent needs more than 37 professional games before making his big-league debut. The young catcher's presence in the team's player pool will give him the best possible development environment this season, but it's highly unlikely to lead to anything more than that.
Rutschman was transferred to the Orioles' alternate training site in Bowie on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
Rutschman had been working with the 60-man roster at Camden Yards over the past several days, but he'll move to the team's alternate facility ahead of the regular season. The Orioles have been impressed with the top prospect's performance since being added to the 60-man roster July 10. However, the team is unsure whether the 22-year-old will get a chance to play in the majors this season given his lack of experience against upper-level talent. He'll at least get to develop alongside other top prospects within the organization in Bowie to begin the 2020 season.
Rutschman was assigned to minor-league camp by the Orioles on Friday.
The 2019 first overall pick spent the first couple weeks of spring training in major-league camp, but there was never a realistic chance of him sticking with the big club. Rutschman progressed quickly through rookie ball and finished his first professional season at Low-A Delmarva, though he struggled with a .594 OPS in 46 plate appearances.
Rutschman was invited to the Orioles' big-league spring training camp on Monday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
The 2019 first-overall pick will spend his first spring as a professional with the Orioles' major-league coaching staff. He's expected to spend several summers with that group as well, though that's unlikely to begin in 2020, as he's yet to reach High-A ball.
Rutschman was promoted to Low-A Delmarva on Tuesday, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.
Rutschman put together an impressive performance at the plate Monday evening, going 5-for-5 with a home run, a triple and four RBI for short-season Aberdeen. He slashed .325/.413/.481 with 15 RBI in 20 games with the IronBirds. Following his promotion, he'll look to make an impact for the Shorebirds in the South Atlantic League playoffs.
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Minor League Batting Stats | ||||||||||||||||
Year | Team | GP | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | CS | AVG | OBP | SLG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | ROK-GCL Orioles | 5 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .143 | .250 | .357 |
2019 | AFX-Delmarva Shorebirds | 12 | 39 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 0 | .154 | .261 | .333 |
2019 | ASX-Aberdeen IronBirds | 20 | 77 | 11 | 25 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 0 | 0 | .325 | .413 | .480 |