Red Sox's Adley Rutschman Trade Already in Danger of Disaster

It's not a bust yet, but the signs are there

Aug 17, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Adley Rutschman (31) hits a double to left field to drive in a run against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thursday is a watershed moment in the baseball career of Adley Rutschman, but will the three-time All-Star even be able to participate in the festivities?

Rutschman, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2019, will return to Camden Yards exactly one month after he was traded to the Boston Red Sox for a five-player haul. And as the Orioles try to get back in the playoff picture without their former face of the franchise, the Red Sox have some other dilemmas to sort out.

Rutschman has sat out since Monday as he nurses a hyperextended elbow, which is separate from the wrist injury that had him on the injured list to start his Red Sox tenure. And if his performance and limited availability weren't enough reason for Boston to worry it had gotten fleeced, the performance of the prospects it gave up is qutie the indication.

What Anthony Eyanson, others are doing in Baltimore system

The Red Sox traded three of their consensus top five prospects to the Orioles for Rutschman, including rising star pitcher Anthony Eyanson, who is in the top 25 of some national rankings systems. They also surrendered former first-round pick Kyson Witherspoon, outfield talents Enddy Azocar and Harold Rivas, plus last year's starting major league catcher in Carlos Narváez.

Of that group, it's clearly Eyanson who can make the trade a wash for Boston the quickest. The 21-year-old has allowed only five earned runs and struck out 32 batters in his 21 innings in Double-A since the trade. He now sports a 1.51 season ERA and 126 strikeouts in his first 89 1/3 innings as a professional.

Witherspoon was looking good as well, with only two earned runs of his own allowed in 14 1/3 innings in High-A, before landing on the injured list with a shoulder impingement. Azocar is killing it for High-A Frederick as well, batting .353 with a .986 OPS in 21 games.

None of that would matter, though, if the Red Sox could feel confidence in Rutschman staying on the field and hitting like Adley Rutschman while he was there. Instead, they've gotten 15 games out of him in a month, to the tune of a .500 OPS and negative-0.2 bWAR.

Add us as a preferred source on Google