The New York Yankees are leaving no stone unturned in their search for a better backstop.
New York is among the teams to have checked in on Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported Wednesday. Heyman adds that the Yankees are also eyeing Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and Cincinnati’s Tyler Stephenson.
Rutschman, a three-time MLB All-Star, is obviously the most intriguing of those names. Reports last week even suggested that the Orioles might be very open to the possibility of moving Rutschman as well.
A former No. 1 overall pick, Rutschman has been putting together a strong 2026 campaign for Baltimore. While he is currently on the injured list due to a wrist issue, Rutschman is hitting .251 this season with eight home runs and 47 RBIs to go along with his usual superb defense behind the plate.
Meanwhile, the Yankees’ issues at catcher are no secret. Austin Wells (hitting .161 this season) and Ali Sanchez (hitting .255 but with a subpar .656 OPS) are not quite getting the job done right now for the 61-46 Yankees.
It remains to be seen if the Orioles would actually be willing to send a key piece like Rutschman to a division rival in the Yankees. But if not, New York still has some additional targets at catcher ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
