Boston Red Sox
“I think it’s a strong statement to the group to get a player like that.”
Adley Rutschman is still on the mend from wrist inflammation. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams)
New Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman will need to wait a bit longer before he eventually steps up to the plate at Fenway Park.
But just a little over 24 hours after Boston paid a steep price to pry Rutschman out of Baltimore, Rutschman didn’t mask his enthusiasm over joining a Red Sox team that has been the best in baseball over the last six weeks.
“The team’s been extremely hot, and they’ve been doing a lot of stuff the right way,” Rutschman said Tuesday in his first meeting with the media in Boston. “So, excited to fit in where I can and just try and help the team as best as possible.”
Rutschman — acquired by Boston in exchange for Carlos Narvaez, prospects Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, and a player to be named later — is a sizable upgrade to Boston’s catching corps.
Beyond his standing as a stout defensive backstop, Rutschman’s bat will be a welcome remedy for a Red Sox grouping behind the plate that has only hit four total home runs at the position to start this season.
“I think it’s a strong statement to the group to get a player like that,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said of Rutschman. “We went out and got a huge addition to our lineup and behind the plate. So it means a lot. We’ll work through getting him healthy and getting him out there, but his history speaks for itself, and who he is as a catcher and an offensive player. So it’s a big add for us.
But it remains to be seen when exactly Rutschman’s bat will be inserted into the heart of Boston’s order.
Even with the 28-year-old catcher’s solid offensive production so far this season (.251/.331/.433, eight home runs, 47 RBI), he has been limited to just 67 total games due to three separate stints on the injured list — including his current setback due to wrist inflammation.
While Tracy acknowledged that there is no set timeline yet for Rutschman’s return, he added that he’s already in the midst of a hitting progression — which could lead to a rehab stint in short order.
“He’s creeping closer,” Tracy said of Rutschman. “But he just got here. He’s still meeting all of our medical staff, seeing exactly where he’s at, and then them determining with how he feels, where he’s at, and between his own subjective opinion on how he feels, and what are the next steps on when can we get him out on a rehab. So haven’t gotten there yet, but he is swinging a bat and hitting right now.”
As he charts out a recovery timeline with Boston’s medical staff, Rutschman is planning on working with a new pitching staff as he tries to help push the Red Sox over the top with postseason baseball potentially just a few months away.
“I’ve always been catching. It’s kind of just trying to serve other guys as much as possible. You’re trying to serve the pitching staff and figure out how I can best meet their needs,” Rutschman said. “So that’s what I’m going to try and do. I’m going to try to be able to serve them as much as possible, and be able to just mold in where I can and find my spot.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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