After his most trying year in baseball, Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman is an All-Star once again

PHILADELPHIA — Baseball was the furthest thing from a topic of conversation last winter when these friends met up in Oregon to golf, or in Texas for Colton Cowser’s engagement party.

They were probably reciting lines from the work of absurdist comedian Tim Robinson, of whom Adley Rutschman is a fan. They probably talked smack about whose drive was farthest. These Orioles players in the middle of the offseason didn’t need to talk about baseball, because bubbling in the background of Rutschman’s mind, baseball is only ever a few degrees away from boiling.

“I don’t think I needed any extra incentive,” he said. “I had plenty on my own.”

Sitting here at Citizens Bank Park is proof of that.

For a third time in his career, Rutschman is an All-Star. For the first time in his career, the honor comes after facing the most difficult year of his baseball life, with injuries and underperformance combining to create a 2025 to forget.

Rutschman and his friends — Cowser, Gunnar Henderson and Terrin Vavra on a golf course in Oregon, for instance — didn’t need to unpack Rutschman’s season. They knew. They also knew that he would work to find a solution, and his first half in 2026 is more in line with what is expected of the former first overall pick.

He finished last season with a .220 average and .673 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in a career-low 90 games. During the first half this year, Rutschman is hitting .253 with a .763 OPS. A trip to Philadelphia was his reward.

There is no topping Rutschman’s first All-Star Game in 2023, when he returned to the Pacific Northwest to appear in the Midsummer Classic with family and friends making the short trip from Oregon to see him.

“But with what has happened over the past couple of years, making it here now definitely means a lot,” he said.

It started this winter, when Rutschman analyzed every part of his process. He overhauled his nutrition, had appointments to study his blood work and coupled lifting with conditioning so he could maximize his chances of staying healthy. That was step one — making sure he could remain on the field.

He faced two short injured list stints this year, one for ankle inflammation and another for a concussion. But for the most part, he has been available. And while his batting performance has improved, perhaps the largest strides have come as a defender.

Rutschman worked with Joe Singley, Baltimore’s new catching instructor, to introduce a right-knee down stance behind the plate. With it, Rutschman’s metrics have skyrocketed defensively. His blocking, framing and caught stealing ranks are all well above league average, according to Statcast.

When Rutschman was taken out of Oregon State with the first pick of the 2019 draft, there were some who thought his defensive work could translate to the majors immediately, without any time in the minors. But like anything, there is trial and error and augmentation. Rutschman has altered his defensive stance throughout his time in the majors, and what he landed on this year appears to be his best yet.

“We knew the talent,” said Buck Britton, who was Rutschman’s manager with Triple-A Norfolk and is now the Orioles’ third base coach. “What I think is the most impressive is everything that happened last year and the down season, how he rebounded and how he found himself again.”

To Rutschman’s teammates and to Britton, an admirable aspect to Rutschman’s 2025 was that, from their perspective, he didn’t allow a bad day to affect his outward mood.

“Everybody gets frustrated, but the next day, you couldn’t tell if he went 4-for-4 with three tanks the night before or if he was 0-for-4 with four K’s,” Britton said. “He just has this ability to show up the next day like it’s a brand-new day. I can’t. I lose sleep. He’s like, ‘It’ll be better tomorrow.’”

Added Cowser: “He’s one of those guys who’s the first one to make fun of himself.”

That levity helps when faced with something new. Before his pair of oblique strains, Rutschman hadn’t spent any time on the major league injured list.

“I think he was having fun last year, I just think there were certain things happening in his career that were new, and any time you face adversity, you find yourself more so frustrated a lot of the time,” Cowser said. “Spending time on the IL last year myself, it can be frustrating. But I think this year he’s learned from it, especially when he had that earlier little stint, he was still bringing a lot of energy and having fun. So he’s having a lot of fun this year.”

That is obvious when watching how Rutschman relates to his teammates in the dugout. With Pete Alonso, the Orioles’ major free agent addition, Rutschman has an intricate series of handshakes. With Samuel Basallo, Rutschman’s catching mate, they chest bump after homers — among other celebrations — and create one of the best catching tandems in the majors.

Looking back now at his career from the sage age of 28, Rutschman said he grew susceptible to imposter syndrome at every level of the game.

“You build up things so much in your mind when you’re in the minor leagues that Double-A is going to be so much harder than High-A,” he said. “When I got to the big leagues, I built it up so much in my mind that I almost thought I couldn’t compete at that level because of how hard people made it sound.”

He’d tell a younger version of himself to believe in his abilities, that his best is good enough, and that he got to where he is based on merit.

When asked if it made last year easier to deal with, in a way, because he had already proven himself in the majors, Rutschman said it was the opposite. Sure, he could lean on the knowledge that he had been a two-time All-Star. But when he grappled with his 2025 performances, “it’s almost more frustrating because you know you can play at a certain level.”

“The fact you aren’t performing up to your own expectations, I think, is the toughest part,” Rutschman said. “It’s tough. You’ve got to live with it, and things happen, and that’s the goal, to play up to your potential. That’s all you ever want to do.”

Rutschman is now doing just that — playing up to his potential. And because of it, he finds himself at another All-Star Game.