Orioles desperately hoping Adley Rutschman injury won't be long-term concern

Orioles fans received difficult news on Friday, learning that star catcher Adley Rutschman had suffered a lower back injury and has been listed as day-to-day. While manager Brandon Hyde did his best to ease fears of a long-term absence, it's still a nerve wracking time in Baltimore right now.

During Saturday night's pre-game show on MASN, Hyde told reporters that Rutschman would be available off the bench in an emergency, and also that they hoped to have their catcher back to full capacity by early next week.

However, those are just the assumptions we have at the moment. While we have little reason to distrust the organization in regard to Rutschman's health, the catching situation behind him is obviously concerning.

Orioles can't afford to lose Adley Rutschman to the IL

James McCann is arguably one of the most impactful guys in the clubhouse in terms of veteran leadership, and there's no doubt that he's capable of working with the pitching staff to help get the most out of this group of arms every night.

McCann's intangibles don't change the fact that he's become a sinkhole at the plate though. He's currently hitting .226/.275/.323 and is neither a power hitter nor an OBP guy at this point in his career. The veteran has been great in a backup role but if the Orioles suddenly need to rely on him to be the primary starter, that's a problem.

Unfortunately, top prospect Samuel Basallo isn't close enough to mitigate the potential loss of Rutschman. Though Basallo is hitting well in Double-A, he's still just 20 years old and that would be a huge ask to bring him in amid a tight playoff race and provide the kind of leadership necessary out of that position.

The only other catcher on the 40-man is Blake Hunt, who was acquired from the Mariners earlier this year in exchange for reliever Michael Baumann. Hunt is a defense-first guy, evidenced by the .537 OPS coupled with a strikeout rate over 30% at Triple-A since the trade in May.

Connor Pavolony has looked good since his promotion to Norfolk but it's a 45-game sample and he hasn't hit higher than .197 in any of his previous stops in the minors.

Beyond that, the Orioles have David Banuelos and Maverick Handley at Norfolk, neither of whom have inspired much confidence this year. And since MLB did away with the August waiver trade deadline, external options are slim to none.

It's possible that the Orioles are right and that Rutschman will only miss a couple games before returning next week at full health. However, if this injury requires a trip to the IL or a long-term absence, it'll become a major problem for an Orioles team already stretched thin and chasing the Yankees in the AL East.