Adley Rutschman has endured a difficult start with the Boston Red Sox, going just 1-for-14 at the plate since arriving in a blockbuster trade.
Expectations were high for the former All-Star following the deal, but his first handful of games in Boston have instead sparked plenty of reaction over just how quickly he can turn things around.
Rutschman went 1-for-3 with two walks in his August 11 debut in Toronto, a game Boston lost 5-3 to fall to its fourth straight defeat. He struck out swinging in the first inning, beat out an infield single in the third, then drew walks in the fifth and seventh before grounding out to end the night.
Adley Rutschman’s Slow Start By The Numbers
“Adley Rutschman is now 1-for-14 (infield single) with 7 strikeouts since joining the Boston Red Sox,” Dan Clark wrote on social media. Marcos Grunfeld offered a nearly identical tally on the same platform â 1-for-14 with three walks and five strikeouts through Rutschman’s first several games.
The frustration has spread to the lineup at large. Boston went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in one stretch, drawing a blunt verdict from the Red Sox Nation Stats account.
“Mind-numbing, absolutely mind-numbing.”
The account flagged a separate inning in which Rutschman and Ceddanne Rafaela struck out back-to-back with runners in scoring position, calling it “another atrocious inning” for Boston’s offense.
None of it has erased the goodwill from behind the plate. Interim manager Chad Tracy said Rutschman “looked good, looked comfortable, looked confident” in his debut, in comments quoted by Fox Sports. Starter Patrick Sandoval, who threw to Rutschman that night, called him “a big-time catcher, big-time player” and said the club was “very lucky to have him here.”
Rutschman entered his Red Sox tenure batting .251 with eight home runs, 47 RBIs and 30 runs scored in 68 games this season, a line pulled down by stints on the injured list for wrist inflammation, an ankle issue and a concussion. The glove hasn’t slumped with the bat. Rutschman ranks in the 96th percentile leaguewide in Fielding Run Value this season, according to Baseball Savant data, with elite marks in caught-stealing runs above average and pitch framing.
The Trade That Brought Rutschman To Boston
The deal itself was among the most aggressive by any team in deadline day Aug. 3. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow sent right-hander Anthony Eyanson, Boston’s top pitching prospect, outfielder Enddy Azocar, first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon, catcher Carlos Narváez and a player to be named later to Baltimore for Rutschman and backup catcher Jake Rogers, according to Boston Globe reporter Alex Speier.
“There’s a premium on winning now,” Breslow told the Globe, explaining the calculus behind absorbing a five-for-two framework for a catcher who was hurt at the time of the trade. Boston had surged from 32-46 to postseason contention on the strength of a 15-game winning streak, and ownership wanted a difference-maker at a position that had been a season-long weak spot.
Rogers didn’t survive the roster crunch. Boston designated him for assignment to open a spot for Rutschman, a move the front office delayed announcing until 33 minutes before first pitch so Rutschman and backup Connor Wong could finish pregame work undisturbed.
Boston has since improved to 65-56, snapping its four-game skid. Whether Rutschman’s bat catches up to his glove will decide how the price ages.
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