Should Orioles’ Rutschman abandon switch-hitting? | MAILBAG

Question: I think Adley Rutschman would really benefit from taking a page from the Cedric Mullins book and just dedicate his swings to one side of the plate, probably the left side. Adley’s swing from the left this year appears to a smoother swing. The right-hand swing appears to be off balance. Your thoughts? From: Charlie Rice

Answer: Charlie, Rutschman, who is on the injured list, has only nine at-bats this season against left-handers. He’s 1-for-9 (.111). The Orioles have yet to face a left-handed starter. He’s 9-for-25 (.360) against right-handers.

In his career, Rutschman is better hitting right-handed with a .276 average and a .791 OPS. He’s batting .247 with a .744 OPS batting left-handed.

I don’t think nine at-bats is enough evidence to convince Rutschman to become a left-handed hitter.

The Orioles’ other catcher, Samuel Basallo, is a left-handed hitter, and I don’t think having two left-handed hitting catchers is something the Orioles are interested in.

Question: Are the Orioles responsible for paying Zach Eflin’s full salary for this year and the amount of money required to buy out his contract if his contact is not renewed for next year?

If my memory is correct, I thought that there was some sort of insurance policy that the Orioles had in place for Albert Belle when he got injured.  If so, are such insurance policies still an option for teams? From: Pat in Ellicott City

Answer: Pat, the Orioles are responsible for paying the remainder of Zach Eflin’s $10 million contract for 2026 and the $2 million buyout for 2027. There’s a $25 million mutual option that’s not likely to be exercised by the Orioles. Eflin had season-ending Tommy John surgery last Wednesday.

Teams are able to insure contracts in certain instances.

Most weekdays, I’ll be answering at least one Orioles question. If you’d like to submit a question, send it to: Rich@BaltimoreBaseball.com. Questions may be edited for clarity, length and style.