The Orioles are planning to promote two of their top prospects to Triple-A, as The Baltimore Sun’s Andy Kostka reports (Twitter link) that catcher Adley Rutschman and left-hander DL Hall will be on their way to the team’s top minor league affiliate.
Had it not been for a triceps strain suffered during Spring Training, it is quite likely Rutschman would’ve already been in the majors by now, perhaps even as early as Opening Day. Rutschman already hit .312/.405/.490 over 185 plate appearances with Triple-A Norfolk last season, and he doesn’t seem to have much left to prove in the minors. Even over 24 PA at the Single-A and Double-A levels thus far, Rutschman has a whopping 1.167 OPS.
Arguably the top prospect in all of baseball, Rutschman has been tabbed for a pretty quick ascension to the majors basically ever since Baltimore made him the first overall pick of the 2019 draft. Considered both an outstanding hitter and defender, Rutschman is the crown jewel of the Orioles’ rebuilding plan, and he is widely seen as a star in the making. It seems probable that Rutschman’s MLB debut will take place before May is over, and it might even just be a matter of days if the young catcher continues to tear up Triple-A pitching.
Hall was the 21st overall pick of the 2017 draft, and he has battled some injury problems throughout his pro career, including a stress reaction in his throwing elbow that limited him to 31 2/3 innings last season. The Orioles were somewhat cautious with Hall to begin the season, but moved him to Double-A after a single outing in high-A ball, and Hall is now heading for Triple-A after only one outing for Double-A Bowie (that start came today, with Hall allowing two runs over 3 2/3 innings). The focus might still be on getting Hall fully ramped-up, so it remains to be seen if he could be on Baltimore’s radar as a late-season call-up before the 2022 season is out.