The Baltimore Orioles made an interesting lineup decision surrounding catcher Adley Rutschman on Thursday before their series finale against the Chicago Cubs.
Rutschman has remerged offensively this season after two below below average years at the plate.
His offense has clearly caught the eye of Orioles' manager Craig Albernaz, as he has Rutschman batting in the leadoff spot for the first time this season.
The switch-hitting catcher was very familiar with the leadoff spot early in his career.
After not hitting there once in his rookie year, the 28-year-old batted leadoff 41 times in 2023, which remains the most in one season in his career.
2024 and 2025 saw him featured in the spot three times collectively, much likely due to his struggles at the plate.
Now on Thursday, Rutschman bats out of the leadoff spot for the first time during the 2026 season.
The Orioles are set to face Cubs' left-handed pitcher David Peterson this afternoon. While Rutschman is much better against right-handers (hitting to a .806 OPS) than lefties (.721 OPS), Peterson's 6.75 ERA and the Cubs' right-handed heavy bullpen makes the decision reasonable.
Rutschman truly has bounced back to the production he had in 2022 and 2023, seasons where he was in contention for the best catcher in baseball.
Despite injuries this season which have forced him to only 62 games, the All-Star is slashing .259/.327/.448, good for a .775 OPS, with eight home runs, 47 RBIs and 18 doubles.
He is back in action at the leadoff spot against the Cubs at 12:35 p.m.
