Jake Rogers’ week just got even wilder.
After the Tigers designated him for assignment, traded him to the Orioles and then watched him get flipped again, the veteran catcher is now headed to the Red Sox as part of the blockbuster deal that sent Adley Rutschman to Boston. It’s a stunning chain of moves for a player who had barely settled into Baltimore before being on the move again.
The deal also sends catcher Carlos Navaez from Boston to Baltimore, which makes Rogers’ role in the trade especially important on the Red Sox side. With Rutschman on the injured list because of wrist inflammation that flared up in mid-July, Boston is going to need Rogers to handle real innings. There is no expected return date for Rutschman, though the assumption is that he’ll be back sooner than later.
Boston clearly wasn’t making this kind of move if it planned to lean on Rogers and Connor Wong for more than a month. Even so, Rogers should get an early chance to contribute with his new club.
For Tigers fans, the move closes another chapter on a catcher who never quite became the everyday answer in Detroit but still carved out a memorable place in the organization. Rogers spent 2019-2026 with the Tigers and was there through some of the franchise’s roughest stretches before helping them get back to the playoffs.
His best season came in 2023, when he hit .221 with 21 home runs and 49 RBI while serving as the catcher for one of the most exciting young teams in baseball. The batting average didn’t jump off the page, but he kept finding ways to come through in big spots.
Rogers later shifted into a No. 2/3 catcher role after Dillon Dingler broke out. He still filled a useful spot on the roster, and the energy around the team seemed to lift whenever he was in the mix. In 2024, he was the lead catcher again, but with his offense slipping, AJ Hinch eventually turned to Dingler.
Now Rogers gets a fresh start with a contender, and Red Sox fans are about to see why he’s remained such a well-liked catcher for so long.
In Other News...
Casey Mize Just Became A Tougher Tigers Deadline Call
The pitching market keeps narrowing, and that matters for the Tigers as the deadline approaches. Toronto just added starter Jos Soriano from the Angels in a deal that sent shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, outfielder Eddie Micheletti and right-hander Angel Rivero back the other way, another notable move after the Blue Jays had already dealt Kevin Gausman to the Cubs. For Detroit, every starting arm coming off the board changes the backdrop around a roster that is still trying to decide how aggressive it wants to be.
Casey Mize sits right in the middle of that conversation. There has been speculation that the Tigers could move the right-hander, and interest around him has been building as clubs hunt for rotation help. With one more name gone and the supply shrinking, Detroits choice gets tougher by the day: hold onto a pitcher it still values, or see whether the market gets strong enough to justify listening. [Read more 🡒]
Astros Suddenly Have One Deadline Need They Can't Ignore
Casey Mizes name is back in the rumor mill at the exact moment the Tigers are trying to keep their division lead steady, and now his next start has been scratched as a precaution. The timing only adds to the sense that Detroit could be weighing a bigger-picture decision with a pitcher who is nearing free agency, even if the Tigers would prefer the focus stay on the pennant race rather than the deadline.
Houston has emerged as one of the clubs watching closely because of its rotation injuries, and that need is hard to miss with the deadline approaching. For the Tigers, the question is whether holding onto Mize for a run at October is worth more than the kind of prospect package a contending club might be willing to put on the table, which is exactly the sort of call front offices hate making when the standings say one thing and the long view says another. [Read more 🡒]