Rutschman playing catch, not yet hitting in oblique recovery process

BALTIMORE -- After avoiding the injured list for the first 483 games of his four-year MLB career, Adley Rutschman was placed on the IL on June 21 (retroactive to June 20) due to a left oblique strain. The move came a day after the Orioles’ star catcher felt discomfort during batting practice at Yankee Stadium.

Rutschman’s thoughts on his absence from games are exactly what you would expect.

“It’s the worst. I want to be out there with the guys, competing,” Rutschman said prior to Baltimore’s series finale vs. Tampa Bay at Camden Yards on Sunday. “Just trying to make the most of the day still, help out where I can, and just trying to be as good of a teammate as I can be right now and support the guys.”

Although Rutschman played catch on the field Sunday, the 27-year-old has yet to swing a bat. That will be the next big step in his recovery process, especially because that was the activity during which he first felt the ailment.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino recently stated he thought Rutschman could return shortly after the All-Star break, which continues to be the belief.

“Usually when you have an oblique, when you have one of those, it’s usually the thing that caused it,” Mansolino said. “So if you’re throwing, then it’s going to be hard to throw. If you’re hitting, it’s going to be hard to hit. It’s not abnormal to see him throw first and that not bother it. ...

“I think it will probably slow down a tick once he starts swinging the bat. But I do think we’re pretty optimistic that this will be on the front end of what the estimate was in terms of the return.”

Rutschman’s focus, however, isn’t on a specific timeline at the moment.

“I want to be back as quick as possible,” Rutschman said. “I don’t know exactly what that looks like. I’m not a medical expert. But I’m just trying to do everything to get back as quickly as possible right now.”

An All-Star each of the previous two seasons, Rutschman had a bit of a slow start to the 2025 season. Through 68 games, the 2019 No. 1 overall Draft pick was hitting .227 with nine doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 20 RBIs and a .691 OPS.

But Rutschman’s bat was heating up before he got hurt. The Oregon State product hit .309 with two doubles, three homers, five RBIs and an .890 OPS in 15 games during June.

“There’s never any ideal time to get injured, but that definitely wasn’t ideal,” Rutschman said. “It’s tough. I want to be playing.”

In the meantime, Rutschman continues to spend time chatting with O’s teammates in the batting cage and in the dugout during home games. He’s also helping pitchers go over scouting reports and having consistent conversations with players, coaches, staff and more.

There’s also been time for Rutschman to reflect on and evaluate the Orioles’ disappointing start to the season. They entered Sunday with a 35-47 record -- a mark Rutschman hopes to help the team improve upon once he returns.

“Probably too much time [to think],” Rutschman said. “I get to watch and think and just process everything over and over, which, I guess, for me, is not a good thing.”

Eflin trending toward IL stint

Zach Eflin, who exited Saturday’s 11-3 loss to the Rays after one inning due to a lower back strain, is trending toward hitting the injured list, Mansolino said Sunday. The 31-year-old right-hander felt discomfort while warming up in the bullpen prior to the outing, then departed after throwing only 28 pitches.

An IL move could come within the next 24 hours, per Mansolino. It would be Eflin’s second trip to the injured list this season after being out from April 8-May 11 due to a right lat strain. He had back ailments that led to IL stints while pitching for Tampa Bay in both 2023 and ‘24.

On Sunday morning, Eflin said his back was still feeling “stiff,” the same feeling that caused his early removal.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” Eflin said. “I was able to deliver a pitch. Wasn’t comfortable. It kind of gets to a point where once you stop moving around, it just locks up and tightens up and then you can’t really do much about it at that point. Just tried to keep moving as much as I could.”