"The Bird's Nest" breaks down the O's catching situation

Samuel Basallo

There’s never a good time for one of your star players to go down with injury. But for the Orioles and Adley Rutschman, the timing of the star catcher’s left oblique strain couldn’t have been much worse. 

Since Rutschman’s promotion to the big leagues a few seasons ago, Baltimore has gone as their face of the franchise has gone. When Rutschman plays well, generally, the Orioles play well. That’s exactly what we saw in June. 

In the month, Rutschman’s 2025 was turning around. The catcher hit .309 with a .381 on-base percentage, posting an OPS close to .900 with just eight strikeouts and seven walks. It’s no surprise, then, that the O’s were 11-6 in the 17 games that Rutschman was healthy in the month. 

Now, the Orioles must navigate life without him until at least the All-Star break, according to interim skipper Tony Mansolino. 

Rutschman’s injury, and its ramifications, was the topic of discussion on this week’s edition of “The Bird’s Nest,” which you can watch here: https://masn.me/qp9slhbj