NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Adley Rutschman returned to Harbor Park for the first time since 2021 this week, a feeling that was familiar.
"From showing up day one, it feels like yesterday," Rutschman recalled. "I remember going into the locker room and seeing everyone and just going out on the field for the first time, so it's bringing back all of those memories being back here and definitely more comfortable now here being here a second time."
Rutschman, ranked as the No. 2 prospect in baseball by MLB.com, spent the early part of the season rehabbing from a triceps injury. After rehab stints in Aberdeen and Bowie, he made his 2022 Tides debut on Friday with the team in Nashville and will play at Harbor Park for the first time this year on Tuesday.
"I feel great right now, felt great all the way through," the switch-hitting catcher said of his rehab. "They've done a great job with the process so far."
The catcher spent 43 games with the Tides in 2021 and now joins a team that features some of the top young exciting talent in the game. Pitcher D.L. Hall will make his Triple A debut on Tuesday night, joining a staff that already includes Grayson Rodriguez, who ranks as the top pitching prospect according to MLB.com. It's a group that has come up through the Orioles' minor league system together.
"It's exciting that we're kind of seeing guys move up and the fact that all of those guys are just such great dudes and we're all so close is just a testament to the Orioles and what they've done and the guys they've been able to get, just character, high quality guys and also great baseball players," he said.
Rutschman, who was the number one overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, said that he's unsure of any timetable when it comes to reaching the big leagues, but many feel that his stay in Norfolk could be short lived. Right now he's just trying to keep his eye on what's directly in front of him.
"We're more focused on just trying to be present here and now and making sure that we're getting the job done every single day and trying to get that one percent better."
