The Orioles have traded three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox. The Orioles are also sending catcher Jake Rogers and cash considerations to Boston. Rogers was acquired from Detroit last Thursday.
In return, the Orioles are receiving 27-year-old catcher Carlos Narváez, minor league right-handed starters Anthony Eyanson (21) and Kyson Witherspoon (21), and right-handed-hitting outfielder Enddy Azocar (19). The Orioles will also receive a player to be named later or cash considerations.
The 28-year-old Rutschman was the overall top pick in the 2019 draft, president of baseball operations Mike Elias’ first selection, and he leaves for another American League East team.
In five seasons with the Orioles, Rutschman hit .254 with a .756 OPS. He’s currently on the injured list for the third time this season with inflammation of his left wrist.
This season, Rutschman hit .251 with a .764 OPS, eight home runs and 47 RBIs.
On June 27th, Elias indicated that he wanted to keep Rutschman, who is eligible for free agency after the 2027 season.
“I wish our commitment was greater than it is. We want him here forever,” Elias said.
Last Friday, Elias seemed to hedge a bit.
“We love him. You feel it when he’s gone,” Elias said. “Absolutely love Adley and having him as long as we can, but we put ourselves in a position where we’ve got to be pretty open-minded here as we go into these talks. Adley is one of the best things that we have going for us.”
Elias also said he thought Rutschman could be playing in rehab games sometime this week.
Narváez finished sixth in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2025. Evanson, Witherspoon and Azocar are the Nos. 2, 4 and 5 Boston prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
Eyanson, who played in the Futures Game last month, is 4-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 16 games with High-A Greenville and Double-A Portland. He’s the No. 2-ranked Red Sox prospect and the 49th in the minors.
Witherspoon, Boston’s 1st pick and the 15th overall in 2025, is 3-5 with a 4.78 ERA with Greenville.
Azocar is hitting .286 with an .880 OPS, 18 home runs, 63 RBIs with Greenville and Salem.
Since June 2025, Rutschman has been on the injured list five times. He strained both oblique muscles last season, and besides the wrist inflammation, he’s been on the IL for left ankle inflammation and a concussion.
Rutschman debuted with the Orioles on May 21st, 2022, and the team’s fortunes moved up. The 2021 Orioles, sans Rutschman. lost 110 games, In 2022, they won 83 games, a 31-game improvement.
He finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2022, was an All-Star in 2023, 2024 and this year. He also won the Silver Slugger in 2023.
In 2023, the Orioles won 101 games and the American League East, and Rutschman, who finished ninth in Most Valuable Player voting, hit .277 with an .809 OPS with 20 home runs and 80 RBIs, all career-highs.
A year later, Rutschman got off to a fine start but slumped badly in the second half, hitting .220 with a .673 OPS, 19 homers and 79 RBIs.
Last season, the two oblique injuries limited him to 90 games. He hit .220 with nine homers and 29 RBIs.
During Rutschman’s time with the Orioles, they failed to win a single playoff game. In 2023, they were swept in three games by the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series. In 2024, they lost two games to the Kansas City Royals in the wild-card series.
With Rutschman gone, the Orioles will depend on 21-year-old Samuel Basallo, who signed an eight-year extension with the team last August. Basallo is also on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation, though Elias indicated last week that he was making good progress in his rehab.
With Basallo out, the Orioles’ catchers are Narváez and Yohel Pozo, claimed off waivers from St. Louis on July 23rd.
Rogers was 1-for-6 (.167) in three games with the Orioles.
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