Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman exited Sunday’s road game against the Boston Red Sox after taking a foul tip off his mask in the third inning.
Interim manager Tony Mansolino said Rutschman was removed as a precaution and will be monitored over the next 24 hours. He didn’t say whether Rutschman is in concussion protocol.
While the Orioles star remained in the game for the fourth inning, Baltimore sent up Maverick Handley as a pinch-hitter for him in the top of the fifth inning.
“Once (trainers) felt there was a need to take him out as a precaution, we did it immediately,” Mansolino said.
In the third, Rafael Devers swung at a first-pitch fastball that sent a foul tip into Rutschman’s mask. The game was paused for a few moments as the catcher collected himself and remained in the game.
It’s another blow for Baltimore, which already has 10 players on the injured list, including catcher Gary Sanchez, who served as Rutschman’s backup. On Sunday, Handley replaced Rutschman — who has played in 352 of a possible 376 regular-season games over the past two-plus seasons.
Rutschman was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019. This season, he is batting just .211 with five homers and 15 RBIs in 50 games.
In his four seasons in the majors, the two-time All-Star has batted .256 with 57 home runs and 216 RBIs in 465 games.
