The Boston Red Sox made one of the splashiest moves of the MLB trade deadline this week, bringing in scuffling Orioles star catcher Adley Rutschman to bolster a catching unit that had been one of the most ineffective combos in the game. But the problem the Red Sox are already having with Rutschman is a familiar one on the Red Sox roster, and that became all too common during the final two years of his career in Baltimore. He’s hurt, and its not clear when he will be back.
The Red Sox were not talking about Rustchman’s health much since acquiring him on Monday, because they wanted the team’s doctors to have a chance to examine him. They got the chance to do so, and the final result appears to be predictable–the Red Sox staff is on board with the Orioles’ plans for Rutschman, and the hope is he will be back soon.
Adley Rutschman on 10-Day Disabled List
Rutschman has been on the 10-day disabled list since July 20 with a hand injury, his third IL stint this season. Still, his injuries have been minor, and he had been relatively productive this season, batting .251 with eight home runs, 47 RBIs and a .764 OPS.
Red Sox manager Chad Tracy addressed the situation with Rutschman.
“He saw the hand specialist yesterday, at this point everything looks good from their end,” Tracy said, via the Boston Herald. “It doesn’t mean anything different as of now over the next couple of days he’s going to continue with his hitting progression and he did some work in the cage today receiving balls, so we’ll keep an eye on him over the next few days and decide from there where he’s at and what the next steps will be.”
Red Sox Catchers Struggling
So, things are looking up for Rutschman to return to action, but now with one of the division rivals of the team that drafted him No. 1 overall. The Red Sox, again, need the help behind the plate, and Rutschman has been a very good two way player.
Red Sox catchers have hit .215 this season, with an OPS of .604, which is 26th in baseball. The Red Sox also got backup catcher Jake Rogers in the deal. Rogers has played 37 games between Detroit and Baltimore this season, and has hit just .163. He has not debuted for Boston.
Red Sox Will ‘Check In’ on Adley Rutschman
Rutschman’s Red Sox debut is obviously being much more closely watched. Soon, Tracy said.
“He’s obviously a lot closer,” the manager insisted. “He was playing after the All-Star break so for him it’s making sure that everything goes according to plan over the next few days and kind of reassess and see where he’s at and you start to decide when is the appropriate time for a rehab assignment.
“We’ll watch him over his next handful of days here to make sure everything keeps going the right direction, check in with him, make sure everything is feeling good and we’ll go from there.”
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