Red Sox Lineup Brings Relief to Adley Rutschman's Latest Injury Scare

Is Rutschman ever going to be 100% this season?

Sep 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman (31) heads to the bullpen before a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It sometimes still doesn't feel real that Adley Rutschman is on the Boston Red Sox, and that's due in large part to how many games he's missed since arriving.

Rutschman's latest injury scare was a cortisone shot in his elbow earlier this week. After a three-run home run on Monday, he sat out both Tuesday and Wednesday as the Red Sox lost the last two games of the series with the Los Angeles Angels. Plus, Mickey Gasper doing more catching drills throughout the week had fans nervous that Rutschman might be dealing with something serious.

However, some nerves had to be assuaged on Friday, as Rutschman returned to the starting lineup for the first of a three-game set at Fenway Park against the Kansas City Royals.

Rutschman to catch against Royals Friday

The Red Sox announced their Friday lineup on X while changing their profile imagery to Fenway Green to match the uniforms, always a crowd-pleasing move at the end of a work week. And Rutschman was back in there after three days off, batting third and catching for starter Sonny Gray.

Friday night at Fenway. pic.twitter.com/UFGqYGJLIV
— Red Sox (@RedSox) September 11, 2026

There were some other changes to note, too. With Eli White heading to the 10-day injured list, the Red Sox found themselves down two center fielders. Jarren Duran, who played more center field than Ceddanne Rafaela in 2024 but has mainly held down left since, shifted back over to center as a stopgap.

Boston also kept Gasper in at designated hitter and batting second, despite a recent 3-for-22 stretch at the plate. Nick Sogard was slotted in at first base while All-Star Willson Contreras prepared for his first (and possibly only) rehab game with Double-A Portland.

The Red Sox seem to be getting healthier in some places, but losing key pieces in others. Rutschman, who has appeared in only 19 games since coming over in the blockbuster early August trade with the Baltimore Orioles, has been banged up the whole time, so there are a lot of people in Boston hoping that the cortisone shot worked.

First pitch is at 7:10 p.m. ET, with the Royals getting set to start veteran Seth Lugo on the mound.

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