Orioles make Adley Rutschman injury move

The Baltimore Orioles have had a frustrating 2026 MLB season thus far, currently sitting at 39-45 ahead of Sunday afternoon’s series finale against the Washington Nationals at home. The Orioles have played the last several games without catcher Adley Rutschman, who sustained a concussion in a recent game against the Seattle Mariners on June 18.

On Sunday, the team announced a positive update regarding the star’s status for that day’s game against the Nationals.

“(We have) reinstated C Adley Rutschman from the 7-day concussion injured list,” reported the team official account on X, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, RotoWire reported that “…While Rutschman is expected to immediately step in as the team’s No. 1 backstop, the Orioles could look to use him a bit more at designated hitter in the short term until the concussion is further in the rear-view mirror.”

Concussions are certainly something to be very cautious about, so it makes sense that the Orioles would consider using him simply as a designated hitter for now before moving him back behind the plate, where he is generally regarded as Baltimore’s number one option at the catcher position.

Meanwhile, the Orioles as a whole are looking to make up ground in the AL East, where they currently sit in fourth place, 10 games behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays for first in the division.

After their game against the Nationals on Sunday, the Orioles will next hit the field on Monday evening for the first of a three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox.