Red Sox have concerning update on Rutschman’s elbow injury

The Red Sox have received a significant lift since both Roman Anthony and Trevor Story returned to the lineup on Sunday.

But Boston’s poor injury luck this summer seems to be carrying over into the fall, based on the latest update on catcher Adley Rutschman.

Rutschman — who the Red Sox acquired at the trade deadline while parting with a significant portion of their pitching-prospect pipeline — is set to miss his second straight game on Tuesday night against the Mariners.

During an appearance on WEEI Tuesday afternoon, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy acknowledged that a nagging hyperextended elbow has hindered Rutschman.

“Adley is, he’s dealing with some stuff with that elbow,” Tracy said. “We’re not completely out of the woods. We are still monitoring and trying to give him appropriate time to make sure that thing’s OK. It’s probably something we’re going to deal with off and on through the year. They’re looking at different avenues to help alleviate that, so we have to be mindful of that.”​

Rutschman — who began his Red Sox tenure on the IL while working his way back from wrist inflammation — initially hurt his elbow while swinging his bat during a game against the Marlins last month.

At the time, Tracy described the injury as “nothing to be alarmed about” — only for the ailment to snowball into something that could now keep Boston’s top deadline pickup out of the lineup for the final stretch of the regular season.

Tracy noted that Rutschman is not going to be placed on the IL, but that his elbow will likely have to be monitored throughout the rest of the season.

​”He’s active, but like, keeping him healthy and doing what we need to do make sure we keep him healthy is important,” Tracy said on WEEI. “So yeah, there will be days when he’s not in there. … But we have to keep in mind like how do we do this properly to make sure that he stays active and healthy?”

That’s bad news for a Red Sox team that drained a hefty portion of its prospect pool in order to pry Rutschman out of Baltimore — with Boston banking on the three-time All-Star upgrading the catcher position and giving the club another impact bat in the heart of its order. ​

Beyond his limited availability, Rutschman hasn’t provided much pop to Boston’s lineup since getting dealt to the Red Sox last month.

In 15 games with his new club, Rutschman is batting just .170 with two extra-base hits (one double, one home run) and 15 strikeouts over 59 plate appearances. He’s only walked six times over that stretch.

Tracy noted ahead of Tuesday’s game that Rutschman’s ongoing injury issue isn’t “alarming” to the Red Sox. ​

“I wouldn’t say it’s alarming, no,” Tracy said. “I wouldn’t say it hasn’t bounced back. It’s just something that we’re dealing with. And again, he played in New York the other day, and he got three hits. So, wouldn’t say it’s alarming. It’s just, there are spots that come up with it where, if it’s sore and you feel like you can give it a little bit of opportunity to calm down, then he’s in a better spot.

“So alarmed? No. I know it’s there. I know it’s something we just have to keep continuing to monitor, and hopefully we give him some rest and then you get past it, so we’ll see. It’s kind of like a day-to-day situation with him and monitoring where he’s at.”

It’s the latest in a long line of bad injury luck for the Red Sox, especially when it comes to midseason pickups. Boston’s other pre-deadline addition, slugging infielder Curtis Mead, suffered a fractured wrist in his debut with Boston in late July — with the 25-year-old potentially an option for game action in late September and beyond.​

Boston is also awaiting the potential return of Garrett Crochet — who hasn’t pitched since April due to several injuries — and Willson Contreras, who was placed on the 10-day IL on Monday to address a lingering hamstring injury.

The Red Sox also placed righty reliever Tyron Guerrero on the 15-day injured list Tuesday due to right shoulder inflammation — with Boston calling up pitcher Wyatt Olds from Triple-A Worcester in a corresponding move.

Guerrero has been Boston’s go-to option for Tracy in the seventh inning down the stretch this season. However, the 6-foot-8 righty labored on Monday against Seattle with three runs allowed and a walk during an abbreviated appearance.

 

Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.