Orioles’ Adley Rutschman makes third career All-Star team

CINCINNATI — In October 2025, at the end of a season Adley Rutschman and the Orioles were eager to move past, the catcher golfed with one of his best friends in Corvallis, Oregon, and talked with a vigor that gave Zak Taylor confidence that Rutschman would soon return to his best.

Rutschman dealt with injuries and underachievement in 2025. He played 90 games, the fewest of his career, and finished with a .673 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. He knew he had more in the tank — and he had an idea of how to achieve it.

“That gets me excited,” Rutschman told Taylor, his former Oregon State teammate, last fall. Rutschman’s goal all winter was “being the player I am meant to be.”

Halfway through the 2026 season, Rutschman’s offseason vigor has turned into a year of strong results. He was named an All-Star for the third time Saturday, and in doing so he proved 2025 was an anomaly at the plate and in the field.

It goes back to the winter, when Rutschman set his sights on more complete production.

“That was the biggest focus all offseason, just trying to, one, stay healthy and, two, get myself into a position to have the most success possible,” Rutschman said. “A lot of really supportive people helping me with all aspects of physical, mental, emotional. To me, it’s just a culmination of that to be able to get here now and continue to progress.”

Rutschman entered Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds with a .252 average and .772 OPS. He’s tied with first baseman Pete Alonso with 1.7 wins above replacement this year, and Rutschman’s 43 runs batted in are behind only Alonso.

Rutschman has been better than ever behind the plate, too. He switched his catching position to begin with his right knee down, and he is framing pitches more effectively and blocking balls at a better rate. Rutschman ranks in the 96th percentile in framing metrics, per Statcast, and his blocking is in the 80th percentile.

Rutschman is Baltimore’s lone All-Star representative, although additional players could be chosen as replacements should injuries occur.

The expectations for Rutschman, from the day he was drafted first overall in 2019, were high. Manager Craig Albernaz said that can make it difficult on a player.

But, in Albernaz’s first conversation with Rutschman last winter when he was hired to lead the Orioles, it became obvious why Rutschman has managed to become a three-time All-Star within the first five years of his career.

Rutschman’s offseason focus wasn’t only about moving on from 2025. “The cool thing about that conversation was learning from 2025, as well, and how he can make adjustments moving forward,” Albernaz said.

“You learn from your mistakes, you learn from your experiences, you make the adjustments and to see Adley do that, it’s a lot easier said than done,” Albernaz said. “The work is the hard part, and Adley loves the work.”

Some of Rutschman’s swing changes are hard to notice, but he says they have played a large role in his resurgence. He simplified his swing, removing a toe tap while moving his hands slightly farther from his body to allow for better rotation.

The culmination is a player who looks closer to his best. Rutschman became an All-Star in 2023 and 2024, and after his challenging 2025, he’s heading back to the Midsummer Classic.

On Saturday, after Albernaz announced the achievement in a team meeting, all of Rutschman’s teammates formed a line to give him a hug. The support from his teammates meant more than the individual honor.

“Very fortunate to be surrounded by the guys on this team,” Rutschman said. “It’s a lot of guys I’m close with, so it means a lot to have them be supportive and be happy.”