BALTIMORE -- As Craig Albernaz navigated his first media session at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 8, the new Orioles manager was unsurprisingly asked about Adley Rutschman.
The question alluded to Rutschman’s struggles going back to the second half of the 2024 season. Then, Albernaz was asked if he believes -- based on the video he’s watched and the conversations he’s had with others -- that Rutschman can return to All-Star form in ‘26?
“How you even asked that question is a testament to Adley, right?” Albernaz said. “For a young player to come up and make the impact that he did -- and then, now, he has these expectations -- that's a credit to Adley of how good of a player he is.”
The O’s believe Rutschman can be that good again moving forward, too.
At the end of the 2025 season, president of baseball operations Mike Elias quashed the Rutschman trade rumors that began to materialize after Baltimore signed fellow catcher Samuel Basallo to an eight-year, $67 million extension in late August. From the outside, it looked like Rutschman could become a trade chip with Basallo signed long term.
But Elias made it clear that Rutschman remains the Orioles’ starting backstop, with Basallo set to rotate between catcher, designated hitter and first base. Elias stated in his end-of-season press conference that “Adley’s the guy.”
Still, the O’s need Rutschman to perform better, considering the dip in offensive production he has shown over his four-year MLB career:
2022: .254/.362/.445 with 35 doubles, 13 homers, 42 RBIs and 5.4 bWAR in 113 games
2023: .277/.374/.435 with 31 doubles, 20 homers, 80 RBIs and 4.3 bWAR in 154 games
2024: .250/.318/.391 with 21 doubles, 19 homers, 79 RBIs and 3.4 bWAR in 148 games
2025: .220/.307/.366 with 16 doubles, nine homers, 29 RBIs and 1.9 bWAR in 90 games
As Rutschman enters his age-28 season, the 2019 No. 1 overall Draft pick and two-time All-Star (‘23 and ‘24) will look to bounce back -- and Albernaz, a former Minor League catcher himself, is planning to do his best to put his starting backstop in a position to succeed.
“Development is messy, especially for a young catcher,” Albernaz said. “To me, obviously I'm biased because I was a former catcher, but catcher is the hardest position in baseball. They make every decision on defense. Then, they get their butts kicked and then they have to go hit.
“So for Adley, and any young catcher, you have to learn how to navigate the grind of the season. And Adley now has that baseline. So now, it's [up to] us as a coaching staff with him to figure out what's the areas that he needs to really focus in on, whether that be in the weight room prep or if it's like how he even structures his day. A lot of it is not actually like the skills. A lot of it has to do behind the scenes, like the leadup to the game and where he's putting his energy and direction.”
Albernaz isn’t the only former catcher on Baltimore’s new-look coaching staff. Hank Conger was hired as bullpen coach, while Joe Singley was brought in as field coordinator/catching coach.
Those hires should benefit not only Rutschman, but Basallo as well.
“Our catchers are going to be very supported,” Albernaz said. “For us as a coaching staff, we have to be cognizant of not overwhelming them. Because now you have three catching minds on staff. You don't want to overwhelm them, so you have to learn the give and take of that.”
Despite Rutschman’s offensive struggles this past season, he was still revered for his ability to manage the Orioles’ pitching staff. The bigger issue was his health, as he went on the injured list for the first time in his big league career, enduring a pair of IL stints due to hamstring strains -- one in each of his legs.
The arrival of Basallo should help keep Rutschman fresh, as the two will split time behind the plate and factor heavily into the DH rotation. Plus, Rutschman’s offensive numbers as a designated hitter (.282 average with an .837 OPS) have been better than when he’s at catcher (.245 average with a .726 OPS).
So, there are reasons to believe that Rutschman will have a bounce-back year -- especially with the added protection in the lineup that will come from sluggers Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward.
And if Rutschman bounces back, it should mean big things for Baltimore’s offense in 2026.