Notes: Rutschman to Minors; Phillips shut down

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Orioles made a series of roster moves on Friday before their 5-1 victory over the Yankees. Most notably, they sent their most celebrated prospect to Minor League camp, and they returned their two Rule 5 Draft picks back to their original clubs.

Catcher Adley Rutschman was reassigned to Minor League camp, an expected move for last year’s No. 1 Draft pick, whose ETA to the big leagues is still a ways off.

"It was just really impressive the way he handled himself," Orioles general manager Mike Elias said. "That's not easy to do -- No. 1 pick and all the hype. You kind of have to handle that but also act like the Minor Leaguer that you are around the other players, and I think he managed to do that. He's just got a good head on his shoulders. I'm looking forward to seeing what he does this season in the Minor Leagues."

Rutschman, 22, is ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 4 overall prospect. He appeared in seven Grapefruit League games and logged one hit -- a single in a pitch-hit appearance Thursday vs. the Twins -- in nine at-bats over seven games.

The Orioles also sent both of their Rule 5 Draft picks -- right-handed pitchers Brandon Bailey and Michael Rucker -- back to their original organizations, the Astros and Cubs, respectively.

"These were tough decisions, especially with the Rule 5 guys because both were impressive," Elias said. "It's why we drafted them. They have big league stuff, and they're big league pitchers and will be pitching in the big leagues in the future."

Elias cited roster constraints and the 2020 rule changes -- the 13-pitcher limit for active rosters, the longer 15-day Minor League option period for pitchers and the new three-batter minimum -- as reasons for the club's decision to return Bailey and Rucker.

"Just in terms of getting down to decision time here in camp, we wanted to boil it down to the pitchers that we think we're going to be able to carry all year," Elias said.

Bailey, 25, allowed one earned run on three hits over four innings this spring. Over two appearances, including one start, he walked two and struck out two.

Rucker, 25, pitched five scoreless innings of relief across three games this spring, yielding four hits and two walks and striking out three.

The Orioles also optioned right-hander Dean Kremer, the team's No. 9 prospect, and outfielder Ryan McKenna, the team's No. 16 prospect, to Triple-A Norfolk. In addition to Rutschman, Baltimore reassigned five others to Minor League camp: right-handers Cristian Alvarado, Marcos Diplan and Brady Rodgers; left-hander Hunter Cervenka; and catcher Martin Cervenka.

The Orioles still have 54 players remaining, which means they’ll have to make several more rounds of cuts before breaking camp in 2 1/2 weeks.

“We came in with a very large camp, and we have to get to 26 players in two weeks and a couple of days, so we’re kind of accelerating the process a little bit,” Elias said.

Phillips receives second opinion
Right-hander Evan Phillips returned to camp Friday after seeking a second opinion on his sore right elbow. An initial MRI revealed a mild strain, a diagnosis Phillips said was confirmed after he was examined in Los Angeles by noted orthopedic surgeon Neal ElAttrache.

Phillips acknowledged he’ll need to rest for a stretch before resuming pitching activities. He also surmised the setback means he won’t be starting the regular season on time.

“I know it's going to be a little bit of time,” he said. “Nothing significant, but just the nature of needing rest. It's going to take that much time to rebuild and get throwing again. I'm not quite sure the time frame right now, I just know it's going to be a few weeks off from throwing and then rebuilding from there.”

Strong outing
Even if he doesn't break camp with the team, Thomas Eshelman could provide pitching depth for an organization in flux. Given the Orioles' on-going rebuild and the likelihood they'll use many starting pitchers throughout the season, Eshelman, who was designated for assignment by the club last September, could be a strong backup option at Triple-A.

So far, Eshelman's spring efforts have produced favorable results. Including a one-run, three-inning outing vs. the Yankees on Friday. The right-hander has compiled a 2.25 ERA across eight innings in Grapefruit League play.

"I'm not trying to do too much to put myself on the roster; I'm not trying to do too much to keep myself off the roster," he said. "I'm just enjoying each day, enjoying my teammates, my coaches. I understand what it's like to play at that level, and I understand what it's like to play at Triple-A. Just trying to enjoy time.”

Up next
The Orioles will make their first trip of the spring to Port Charlotte for a 1:05 p.m. ET game on Saturday against the Rays. Lefty Bruce Zimmermann will start for Baltimore, and the Rays will start lefty Sean Gilmartin.