Adley Rutschman’s latest absence from the Red Sox lineup wasn’t a setback so much as a planned pause.
Boston gave its catcher a cortisone shot in his troublesome right elbow after Monday night’s 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB.com’s Ian Browne. The move was timed to give Rutschman Tuesday and Wednesday off, with the team already set for a day off Thursday. In other words, the Red Sox built in three straight days without a game appearance and used the schedule to their advantage.
The expectation now is that Rutschman will be back Friday when Boston opens a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals at Fenway Park. For a club trying to keep one of its most important players on the field during a playoff race, that counts as good news.
Rutschman first hyperextended his right elbow on Aug. 24 while taking an aggressive swing against the Miami Marlins. Since then, Boston has had to work around the issue, and interim manager Chad Tracy already acknowledged that the team may need to manage it for the rest of the season.
Adley Rutschman had a cortisone shot in his elbow after the game on Monday. Feeling was this was right time so he could get back to back games off Tue+Wed and the team doesn't play on Thursday. He should be in the lineup Friday.
- Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) September 9, 2026
The 28-year-old had already missed three straight games before returning Sept. 3 against his former team, the Baltimore Orioles. He wasted no time making an impact, launching two home runs in Boston’s 6-5 win at Camden Yards.
He was right back at it Monday. Rutschman’s three-run homer helped push the Red Sox to their fifth straight victory, and it gave him four home runs since Boston acquired him at the trade deadline.
Boston went with Mickey Gasper behind the plate Tuesday and Wednesday, and Rutschman was out of the starting lineup for both games. He did not play in Tuesday’s 6-1 loss.
The plan seems clear: give Rutschman enough recovery time now to avoid a longer interruption later. So far, Boston has not suggested that another injured-list move is being considered.
If all goes according to plan, Rutschman should be in the lineup Friday night when the Royals arrive. First pitch for the opener is set for 7:10 p.m. ET, and Boston will head into another important September series with its new catcher back in the middle of the action.
It’s been a season full of bumps for Rutschman, who has dealt with wrist, concussion and elbow problems along the way. Boston brought him in from Baltimore on Aug. 3 expecting him to give the lineup a lift on both sides of the ball.
The Red Sox got a glimpse of that upside with his two-homer return to Baltimore and his three-run shot against the Angels. Now they’re betting that this careful reset helps keep him available when the stakes keep climbing.
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