It was a slow start for Adley Rutschman after he got traded to the Boston Red Sox at the deadline (1-for-17, nine strikeouts, .332 OPS through his first five games with the team), but he may be finding his groove. And if he is truly turning the corner, then the Red Sox (and their World Series odds) are going to be much better for it.
In his last three games, the Oregon native went 5-for-12 (.417 BA), with two home runs, two RBIs, and just one strikeout. He also scored three runs in his first game against his former team, the Baltimore Orioles, on Thursday.
Boston brought Rutschman in to give the team more stability at catcher and bolster its lineup. The catching position had been a struggle for the Red Sox all season (they also haven't had a reliable offensive catcher since Jason Varitek -- though I will never forget Jarrod Saltalamacchia's contributions to the 2013 World Series team... at least in the regular season), and trading for the three-time All-Star addressed that need.
On paper, Rutschman greatly raises the Red Sox' ceiling and floor. And if his latest performances are a sign of what's to come, then opposing teams should be scared of what this team can do in October.
Adley Rutschman makes the Red Sox' offense even better
The story of the Red Sox' season, for the most part, has been their incredible pitching (their rotation and bullpen are both among the best in baseball), but their offense has turned into a legitimate unit over the last few months.
This is where Boston ranks in some of MLB's top hitting categories since the All-Star break: second in BA (..264, only behind the Chicago Cubs' .266), second in runs (248), second in hits (420), third in home runs (62), first in doubles (94), third in OBP (.341), second in SLG (.449), and second in OPS (.790), all according to MLB.com.
And that's mostly without Roman Anthony or Trevor Story, and only somewhat with Rutschman.
The Red Sox took a pretty big risk when they traded for Rutschman, giving away multiple top prospects and not having a guarantee that he would sign a new deal (his contract is up after the 2027 season), but it was a risk they needed to take.
Their catcher situation was a huge problem for them, especially offensively, and the 28-year-old was the best realistic upgrade they could have gotten there. The Red Sox were already on their way to being a legitimate World Series contender, but they addressed arguably their biggest offensive weakness by acquiring Rutschman.
He's not their best or even most important player, but Boston will need Rutschman to bring his A-game when the lights are at their brightest. And as things stand, it looks like he's ready to do exactly that.
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