Rutschman (ankle) placed on 10-day IL; Mountcastle exits game with foot pain

BALTIMORE -- The Orioles were hopeful their injury luck would be better during the 2026 season than it was during a challenging '25. Yet, so far, it's somehow been even worse.

Prior to Saturday night's game vs. the Giants at Camden Yards, the O's placed catcher Adley Rutschman on the 10-day injured list due to left ankle inflammation. Catcher Maverick Handley had his contract selected from Double-A Chesapeake, while right-hander Chayce McDermott was designated for assignment to make room for Handley on the 40-man roster.

Then, during the second inning of the contest, Ryan Mountcastle exited with left foot pain, as he stumbled while running from first base to second on a leadoff double and awkwardly slid into the bag on the play.

The severity of Rutschman's ankle ailment is not yet known, nor is what caused the soreness.

The O's will hope Rutschman's IL stint is brief, as he's been among the team's top hitters through the first two-plus weeks of the season. He went 3-for-5 with two doubles in Friday's series-opening 6-3 loss to San Francisco, raising his average to .294 and his OPS to .855 through 10 games. The Oregon State product has six doubles and three RBIs this year.

Rutschman is attempting to have a bounce-back campaign after being limited to 90 games last season due to a pair of oblique strains (one on each side). It was part of an injury-marred year for Baltimore, which used the injured list 39 times for 29 players.

Eleven players are currently on Baltimore's IL, a group that includes starting infielders Jackson Holliday (right hamate surgery) and Jordan Westburg (partial right UCL tear) as well as right-hander Zach Eflin, who underwent season-ending Tommy John surgery on Thursday. Also, outfielder Tyler O'Neill, who is under the weather, was scratched from Friday's lineup and didn't start again Saturday.

It's not yet clear whether Mountcastle could become an IL candidate. The 29-year-old has been in a bench role following the arrival of star first baseman Pete Alonso, who signed a five-year, $155 million deal over the offseason. Mountcastle is 4-for-14 (.286) over eight games this year.

Handley was on Baltimore's taxi squad during its three-game series at Pittsburgh last weekend, but this marks his first big league call-up of the year. The 28-year-old reached the Majors for the first time in 2025, going 3-for-41 (.073) with three RBIs over 16 games for the O's.

McDermott, a former top prospect, came off the 40-man roster after a tough start to his season, as the 27-year-old right-hander has a 6.75 ERA through five Triple-A relief outings. He had a 12.79 ERA in five MLB games (two starts) over the 2024 and '25 campaigns.