BOSTON -- It took a few days, but Adley Rutschman is sliding into the role of the impact Trade Deadline acquisition that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow expected to land when he dealt three of the club’s top five prospects, per MLB Pipeline.
After starting his time with Boston with a 1-for-20 clip, the three-time All-Star has heated up.
Playing in his second home game with his new team, Rutschman punctuated his arrival to Fenway Park in Tuesday night's 9-4 win over the D-backs with a towering equalizing solo shot in the bottom of the third inning. The long ball off Arizona righty Merrill Kelly soared over the foul pole in right field before tucking into the seats at a Statcast-projected 401 feet.
It was the ultimate punch back by the Red Sox, considering Gabriel Moreno had mashed a grand slam with two outs in the top of the frame to briefly turn Boston’s 3-0 lead into a 4-3 deficit.
Down 0-2 in the count, Rutschman mauled a 93 mph fastball that was high and out of the strike zone. For the rest of the night, it was all Red Sox, as they scored the final six runs of the game after the Moreno slam.
“All the momentum on our side, and then they have two outs, nobody on,” said Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy. “And then that happens. To come back and punch back like you said was important, and then we continued on from there.”
When Rutschman was in his slump, he continued to talk about sticking with his process. No longer slumping, he continues to talk about it.
“I was just trying to stay with the process and just being in a balanced position on time, and trying to do damage in the middle of the zone and swing at good pitches,” said Rutschman.
Though Rutschman got off to a hot start at the plate for the Orioles this season, two injuries and a concussion took him out of his rhythm for a bit. His first homer for Boston snapped a drought of 27 games and 101 at-bats without a big fly.
Hit with a launch angle of 31 degrees and an exit velocity of 107 mph, Rutschman’s ninth homer of the season would have left all 30 MLB parks.
In the bottom of the sixth inning in Monday’s 11-1 romp of Arizona, Rutschman ended an 0-for-19 drought by tucking an RBI double down the line in left. He yanked a two-run single into right field for the Red Sox's first runs of Tuesday's game.
Rutschman’s momentum actually might have changed on a lineout down the line in left field in Sunday’s 8-3 loss to the Pirates that left fielder Jake Mangum made a sliding catch on.
“Yeah, I think that was definitely one that I'll probably look to just because, before that game, I made some small adjustments and something felt pretty good there, and then went out in the game and it was a lot better swing,” Rutschman said. “So just kind of rolling with that and continuing to build off of it.”
Of course, hitting is just one small part of Rutschman’s job description, which is why Breslow was willing to part with so much prospect capital to get him.
Rutschman is renowned for leading a pitching staff while being an excellent backstop with a strong arm. When he’s going right, he offers offense that few catchers can, and from both sides of the plate.
While Rutschman was initially crushed at being traded by the team that made him the first overall pick in the 2019 Draft, Boston has grown on him quickly.
Fenway Park has been packed every night over the last month or so, and Rutschman can feel the vibe his 68-58 Red Sox have built while resurrecting a season that once seemed lost.
“Just a lot of appreciation,” said Rutschman. “And in the game of baseball, there's such a finite amount of time, the guys always talk about appreciating the moments, and the fact that your career goes quickly.
“And, I think just taking a step back to understand how fortunate to be able to be in a position where I'm able to play this game and, just with all the stuff that's been happening over the last two days with the Jimmy Fund [television/radio telethon], just really feeling grateful to be able to play this game.”
Rutschman is clearly learning the rituals that come with a new team. When Rutschman got back to the dugout after the home run, he got the Wally the Green Monster mask placed over his head.
“Not a great visual, and it doesn’t smell that bad,” quipped Rutschman. “I promise.”