Adley Rutschman Gives Red Sox Glimpse Of Deadline Vision

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The Boston Red Sox did not acquire Adley Rutschman for one memorable night in Baltimore. They acquired him for nights in October.

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Still, Rutschman’s remarkable return to Camden Yards on Thursday provided the clearest look yet at what Boston envisioned when it paid a massive price to acquire the three-time All-Star catcher from the Orioles. Rutschman homered twice, scored three runs and helped the Red Sox secure a 6-5 comeback victory in the opener of a four-game series. His performance came exactly one month after Baltimore sent him to its American League East rival in a seven-player blockbuster.

It also came when Boston badly needed evidence that Rutschman’s slow start and recent elbow trouble would not prevent him from making a significant late-season impact.

Rutschman Breaks Out At Perfect Time

Rutschman entered Thursday batting .170 with a .500 OPS through his first 15 games with Boston. Those numbers were not what the Red Sox expected after parting with an enormous package that included highly regarded pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon.

Rutschman also had missed Boston’s entire three-game series against the Seattle Mariners because of recurring soreness in his right elbow. An MRI revealed swelling and bone bruising, although the examination did not uncover ligament damage.

Before Thursday’s game, Rutschman said, “I want to be in the lineup for every game.”

He certainly made his return count.

After receiving an ovation from the Baltimore crowd, Rutschman hit a Brandon Young changeup 377 feet into the right-field seats in the first inning. He then crushed a first-pitch sinker from Young for another solo homer in the sixth.

The second blast left his bat at 103.6 mph and traveled a projected 389 feet. According to MLB.com, it would have cleared the fence in all 30 major league ballparks.

Those were Boston’s only two hits through six innings.

Rutschman later reached on a fielder’s choice in the eighth and scored the go-ahead run when Nick Sogard launched a two-run homer.

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Boston’s Deadline Gamble Remains Unfinished

One game cannot determine whether Boston won the Rutschman trade. The Red Sox surrendered five players, including Eyanson, Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, Carlos Narváez and Harold Rivas, to acquire Rutschman and Jake Rogers. Boston later designated Rogers for assignment.

That package created enormous expectations for Rutschman, particularly after he recovered from the wrist injury that delayed his Red Sox debut. His first few weeks did little to silence questions about the cost. Rutschman had only nine hits and one home run across his first 59 at-bats with Boston.

Then came Thursday.

Rutschman’s two-homer performance did not erase every concern about his production or health. It did show how dramatically the middle of Boston’s order can change when the switch-hitting catcher is healthy and driving the baseball. The Red Sox have spent much of the season searching for the lineup they hope to carry into the playoffs. Injuries to Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Willson Contreras and others have repeatedly complicated that process.

If Rutschman’s night in Baltimore represents the beginning of a genuine breakout, Boston’s lineup suddenly looks much more dangerous. The Red Sox paid for the player Rutschman has been and the one they believe he can become again.

For one night against the franchise that drafted him, that player finally arrived.

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