SARASOTA, Fla. — Adley Rutschman was late on Paul Skenes’ pitch, and with how the Pittsburgh Pirates fireballer throws, that’s not a surprise. But, in last week’s matchup, Rutschman still rifled the ball the other way on a line for a single.

The sequence was one plate appearance in late February. It hardly is a guarantee that everything with Rutschman’s swing is fixed, that his second-half issues are behind him. But take a look at the swing itself and there was a sign that one key aspect of Rutschman’s mechanics has improved to a point that could prevent another extended slump.

Rutschman moved his hands ever so slightly, both away from his body and farther from the pitcher. In doing so, he gives himself more room for those hands to work — when he swings, he’ll be able to get his bat head on an even plane more quickly. And keep it on that plane.

In doing so, Rutschman can make even poor swings have positive results.

If Rutschman is late, if his timing is off, a level bat head can still spray the ball on a line to the opposite field, just as it did against Skenes.

“If my bat is on plane and I’m catching it deep and still hitting it on a line versus if my bat is coming in steep, I’m not on plane for as long of a time, that’s just stuff that we worked on and creating better misses,” Rutschman said. “You have your A swing, your B swing, and so, that’s something I enjoy seeing on some of my misses. When I do that [still hit a line drive], that’s something I look for.”

Rutschman is looking for it after a season in which his opposite-field approach and line drive rate declined.

In 2023, Rutschman hit line drives 23.2% of the time and 29.3% of his batted balls went the opposite way. But in 2024 Rutschman’s line drive rate dipped slightly to 22.5% and his fly ball rate soared to 42.9%. In addition, he hit the ball the other way 22.1% of the time.

Those data points played a role in why Rutschman’s statistics dropped — his on-base-plus-slugging percentage plummeted from .809 in 2023 to .709 in 2024.

But if he can make his bat reach a level plane sooner? And stay there longer through the strike zone?

“It’s nice to actually be able to drop in and plane out,” Rutschman said of the added space between his hands and body.

Excluding Rutschman’s game Thursday, because the FanGraphs statistics page hadn’t yet updated, Rutschman is showing an early positive return. The sample, of course, is tiny. Still, 50% of Rutschman’s balls in play have gone the opposite way, and he’s done it with a 37.5% line drive rate.

On Thursday, in a rematch with Skenes, Rutschman hit two grounders the other way. He beat out one for a single and was thrown out on the second, bringing his spring line to 6-for-13. Spring training results, of course, aren’t indicative of future success. But watch Rutschman’s hands and the level bat path, and that could translate to a stronger 2025.

“I like how I’m seeing the ball at the plate and how some of my misses are going — as far as some line drives the other way on balls that I’m late on,” Rutschman said. “Just making sure those launch angles are keeping in a good range and those misses are still good outcomes, I guess. I’m happy with where we’re at now. Obviously, it’s a long season, and you just gotta take it step by step.”