The Boston Red Sox took a major swing at the trade deadline, acquiring three-time All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman from the Baltimore Orioles.
The Red Sox gave up four top-30 prospects and Carlos Narváez to get Rutschman, but they desperately needed an offensive upgrade at catcher. Rutschman was an All-Star this season, but was on the injured list with wrist inflammation when the team got him. He has since then gone on a rehab assignment and played five games for the Red Sox.
He is 1-for-17 since joining the team, and his only hit was an infield single in his first game. He has struck out nine times, but does have five walks.
"Just trying to stay with my process, not make any drastic changes,” Rutschman told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier when asked about his struggles.
Leaving the Orioles was not easy for Rutschman, as he posted an emotional goodbye to his former team on social media. The transition to a new club has to be weighing on him as he tries to find his swing again.
"No,” he told Speier when asked if it was easy to stick to the process while also adjusting to a new team. “The competitor in me, I want to go out there and perform.
“Bottom line. I want to perform for these guys and come out here and be able to do what I do, but at the end of the day... you really have to stick with (process) or else baseball is a game of failure and can get you in a bad mind-set quickly.”
The Red Sox will need Rutschman to start swinging a hot bat soon if they want to get out of their recent slump. The postseason is not far, and with Masataka Yoshida now on the injured list, the offense will need others to step up.