It was easy to shrug off as a trivial excuse. Adley Rutschman appeared ready for the major leagues, and the Orioles certainly had room for him, but the organization kept him at Norfolk for a second week. As fans clamored for a promotion, Mike Elias explained that Baltimore needed to see that he could handle the physical workload that comes with being a big league catcher.
Elias said they wanted to see Rutschman catch three consecutive games prior to promoting him. It made sense that the front office wanted to protect their top prospect, but was it really necessary?