The Orioles are promoting their top prospect to Triple-A Norfolk, a source with direct knowledge confirmed Sunday. Rutschman, a catcher the Orioles took first overall in the 2019 draft, recently became the top prospect in all of baseball in MLB Pipeline’s rankings with the graduation of Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco.
In his first full season of professional baseball, Rutschman, 23, thrived with Double-A Bowie, batting .271/.392/.508 with 18 home runs and nearly as many walks and strikeouts in 80 games. Among the Orioles’ top prospects who have been healthy all season, Rutschman was a rarity in spending his season with one affiliate, but this promotion leaves him one more away from joining the Orioles.