Jake Rogers didn’t spend much time in Boston, but he didn’t leave with any hard feelings either.
The veteran catcher, now with the Chicago White Sox after landing a backup role on a waiver claim last week, said this week that he understood why the Red Sox moved on from him once Adley Rutschman returned from the injured list. Boston had acquired the three-time All-Star in the Aug. 3 blockbuster, and Rogers was the natural roster casualty when the club needed to make room on Aug. 11.
“Obviously, when the trade happened with Adley, I knew [I was] just playing the game for a little bit. I figured that once he came back, they had to make a move and it seemed like I was a choice,” Rogers said, per Jason Beck of MLB.com. "Breslow and everybody in Boston couldn't have been nicer and handled the whole situation perfectly.”
Rogers’ path through the summer has been a whirlwind. The Detroit Tigers designated him for assignment in mid-July, and over the next three weeks he wound up with four different teams. Boston was just one stop in that run, but it still gave him a brief chance to contribute.
In only three games with the Red Sox, Rogers went 3-for-6. That was two more hits than Rutschman had in his first five games with Boston. Rogers also delivered a big moment on Aug. 6, driving in the game-tying run in extra innings against the Chicago White Sox in a 12-11 win in 13 innings, the kind of wild finish that can stick with a player even after he’s gone.
Even so, the Red Sox were never likely to hand Rogers the backup catcher job over Connor Wong. Boston already had a more established option behind Rutschman, and overhauling the catching group that deep into the season would have been a major shakeup. Wong also had the stronger overall season.
So Rogers’ stint in Boston ended the way it probably had to. But for a brief stretch, he made it count.
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The offensive results have not come close to matching that track record, and the concern in Boston is less about one bad week than whether the slow start lingers long enough to matter. Rutschman has said he is focused on sticking with his process and not making drastic changes, which is the right approach on paper, but it also leaves the Red Sox waiting for the version of him they expected to get in the first place. [Read more 🡒]