The Boston Red Sox made one of the most surprising moves of the 2026 MLB trade deadline when they completed a deal with AL East rival Baltimore Orioles for catcher Adley Rutschman.
The trade is intriguing from both sides, but it is especially notable for Boston because Rutschman was injured at the time of the transaction. He has not yet appeared in a game for the Red Sox and remains on the injured list as he continues his recovery.
However, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reported some encouraging news late Friday night: Adley Rutschman is set to begin a rehab assignment on Saturday, August 8, marking an important step in his recovery and bringing him closer to making his Red Sox debut.
Red Sox get good news as Adley Rutschman is set to begin rehab assignment
This is some major news for the Red Sox, as their blockbuster trade deadline addition is finally gearing up to return to the big leagues.
He’s been on the IL for a while now, dating back to July 20, due to a wrist injury. He’s played just 67 games this season, but should be back soon. But this time, he’ll be in the Red Sox lineup, not the Orioles lineup.
Before his injury this season, Rutschman had eight home runs with 47 RBIs and a .251 batting average to go with his third All-Star nod and a solid .764 OPS.
While the Red Sox have gotten some decent production from Connor Wong at times this season, getting Rutschman into this lineup on a red-hot Red Sox team is going to be very exciting.
The 64-51 Red Sox have come out of nowhere to be one of the best teams in baseball, and they have a real chance to do some damage come October, especially once Rutschman is starting.
His rehab start on Saturday will be a big one, as if he can get through the game without issue, he’d be one step closer to his Red Sox debut.
It’s been an incredible few months for the Red Sox, and Rutschman trending in the right direction amid his wrist injury recovery is further good news, as so much seems to be going right for the Red Sox lately.
