The Red Sox moved quickly after landing Adley Rutschman, and Jake Rogers ended up being the odd man out.
Rogers was designated for assignment on Tuesday, only eight days after Boston pulled him in as part of the trade deadline deal with the Orioles. The move followed the Red Sox’ acquisition of Rutschman, Rogers and cash considerations from Baltimore on Aug. 3, a deal that sent pitchers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar and catcher Carlos Narváez to the Orioles.
Rogers had barely settled in before Boston made the call. He had come over after being designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers just a few days earlier, then landing with the Orioles before being included in the trade. The timing made his exit from Boston feel like a formality once Rutschman was in the fold.
The fit was never going to be simple. Rutschman has the starting job, and Connor Wong already has familiarity with much of the pitching staff. That matters, especially when a club is trying to integrate a new catcher in the middle of a race.
Rogers brings value behind the plate. He’s an above-average defensive catcher and has spent time catching some of the best pitchers in baseball, including Tarik Skubal over the past few seasons aside from the last few months. Even so, the Red Sox appear to have preferred the steadier path with Wong in a backup role.
Rogers could have been a workable insurance option, but Boston clearly decided Wong was the safer choice for a team trying to chase both the division and a World Series title.
In Other News...
Orioles Just Learned The Full Price Of Bostons Adley Blockbuster
Adley Rutschmans first game in a Red Sox uniform gave Boston an immediate look at why the club was willing to make a serious move for him. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and handled catcher duties cleanly, a tidy debut that fit the idea of a roster upgrade designed to matter right away. The swap also finally got buttoned up behind the scenes, with the player to be named later piece of the deal now settled.
For Baltimore, the real sting is in what eventually crossed over to complete the trade. Boston sent over minor league outfielder Harold Rivas, an 18-year-old with enough status in the organization to make him more than just a throw-in. It is the kind of final accounting that can quietly shape how a blockbuster is remembered, especially when the first big league glimpse from the new catcher already looked so settled. [Read more 🡒]
Vaughn Grissom Just Made His Red Sox Exit More Personal
Vaughn Grissoms departure from Boston already looked like one of those moves that quietly lingered in the background, and now it feels a lot more personal. The infielder said the Red Sox front office never gave him a fair chance to play, arguing they leaned too heavily on analytics instead of what he was doing on the field. Since moving on, Grissom has settled in as a more regular starter with the Los Angeles Angels, where consistent playing time has given him a steadier role.
Grissom also believes he has gotten better simply by being on the field every day, and his season line reflects a player who has found some rhythm. He is hitting .254/.315/.392 with seven home runs and a 0.5 bWAR in 78 games, numbers that do not turn the story into a full redemption arc but do make the contrast with his Boston tenure harder to ignore. For the Red Sox, it is another reminder that player evaluation does not end when someone leaves town. [Read more 🡒]
Adley Rutschman Already Changed A Big Red Sox Question
Adley Rutschman wasted little time making his presence felt in Boston, stepping straight into the middle of the lineup and behind the plate after being acquired in a trade and activated from the injured list. In a 5-3 loss to the Blue Jays, he started at catcher and batted third, and even after more than three weeks away with wrist inflammation, there was little sign of rust as he settled into his new surroundings.
For the Red Sox, the early takeaway was bigger than one game in the standings. Rutschmans arrival immediately changes the look of a catching situation that was already under scrutiny, and the club plans to handle his workload carefully as he gets up to speed with a new pitching staff and a new dugout. The next question is less about whether he fits and more about how Boston chooses to use him in the first stretch of this new chapter. [Read more 🡒]