Red Sox might've make the same mistake with Adley Rustchman that they did with Romy Gonzalez

The acquisition of Adley Rutschman at the trade deadline was a major swing for Craig Breslow. He ended up trading four top-15 prospects and Carlos Narváez for the multi-time All-Star backstop, a move that took some criticism for the amount of talent traded but was ultimately applauded for going all in on a team that had been red hot for over a month.

One of the biggest concerns surrounding Rutschman has been his injury history. He spent two stints on the injured list in 2025 for two different oblique strains, one on the left and one on the right. In 2026, he had three stints on the IL for left ankle inflammation, a concussion, and then left wrist inflammation. He was still healing from the final injury when Boston traded for him.

It took five days after the trade for Rutschman to feel good enough to go on a rehab assignment. He then played just two games with Worcester, one behind the plate and one at DH, before the Sox decided the 28-year-old was healthy enough to play.

Adley Rutschman's struggles with Red Sox are a little too reminiscent of Romy Gonzalez's

After five games in his Red Sox tenure, Rutschman has had an extremely slow start at the plate. After getting a hit in his first game, he went hitless in the four following games. He has also struck out nine times in those five games, though he has walked five times.

His struggles at the dish are a little too reminiscent of Romy Gonzalez, who only got 21 at-bats during his rehab assignment before being rushed back to the big leagues. He ended up really suffering from his lack of rehab games, hitting just .185 with a .572 OPS in 19 games with Boston before being optioned. It's a little concerning that Rutschman is struggling after coming back very quickly from a rehab assignment.

Of course, the biggest difference between the two is Rutschman's elite defense. Even if he struggles at the dish to produce, his defense is going to carry him to a positive impact. Sonny Gray gave Rutschman a glowing review after they worked together in a game for the first time on August 15 against the Pirates. "It felt like we had been working together forever," Gray said post-game.

All of Red Sox Nation is hoping Rutschman finds his timing at the plate. He wasn't just brought in for his defense. The Red Sox acquired him to be a middle of the order bat and lengthen the lineup. They'll need him to find his form to maintain their spot in the Wild Card.

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