The Baltimore Orioles have received a shot in the arm with the arrival of top catching prospect Adley Rutschman.
He has been a key piece in their youth movement and has helped them emerge as surprise Wild Card contenders in the American League.
His hitting is improving and he’s helping change the fortunes of the Orioles franchise.
Though widely known for his catching, he has a couple of other tricks up his sleeve as well, and he might be putting those on display soon.
Orioles insider Nathan Ruiz tweeted that Rutschman was trying out first base, a place where he played a little in the minors but hasn’t done so yet with the Orioles.
Adley Rutschman is doing some on-the-bag work at first base. He played there in the minors but has yet to do so with the Orioles.
— Nathan Ruiz (@NathanSRuiz) August 16, 2022
Rutschman Takes Reps At First
Versatility always helps a player’s case for staying in the big leagues.
With Trey Mancini gone, the Orioles could give Rutschman some reps at first base at some point in the near future.
Ryan Mountcastle is getting most of the reps there, but in case he needs a day off, the Orioles could stick Rutschman there for a change, giving the latter a little bit of a break from catching if he needs one.
If he can take some reps at first base, then the Orioles have some options for how they want to manage players’ workloads down the stretch.
They could also have Mountcastle serve as the designated hitter occasionally if they want to give Rutschman a chance to play a little first.
There are a number of things they could try if Rutschman takes some reps at first base, and it’s not like first base is foreign to him, given that he has a little experience playing there in the minor leagues.
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