Adley Rutschman's Orioles career is officially over, and what it turns into next is now in progress.
Rutschman played his first game in a Red Sox uniform of any kind Saturday, catching five innings for the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on a rehab assignment — the first real look at life after Baltimore since the Orioles traded him at the deadline, the move that closed the book on the No. 1 overall pick who was the face of the franchise's recent rebuild.
His left wrist injury is another big story for now. Rutschman has been out since July 20 with wrist inflammation and Saturday marked his first game action since. He reached base three times in four plate appearances, with a two-run double down the right-field line, two walks, and a popout to left, and threw out a baserunner behind the plate as Worcester routed Lehigh Valley 19-0.
As for when he make his Red Sox debut? "I don't have an answer for you right now, but the wrist's feeling good and I'm just hoping to keep progressing and hopefully in there sooner rather than later," Rutschman said after the game.
The crowd at Polar Park was a reminder of how recent all of this still is. Fans showed up in both Orioles and Red Sox gear — a mix that wouldn't have looked out of place at Camden Yards a few weeks ago. "It was great to be out there and feel that excitement," he said.
One person made the trip specifically because of Baltimore's decision: Rutschman's father, Randy, who booked a red-eye flight the moment the trade was announced on Monday and has stayed with his son through the move ever since. "It's been great having him around," Rutschman said. "Just kind of like old times, driving around, playing ball and getting to hang out. It's always good when he's able to come out and be around."
Asked about his new team, Rutschman didn't hedge, either — a notable contrast for a player who spent his entire pro career up to this point saying all the right things about Baltimore.
"The fans obviously, they're in it. It's cool to be kind of on this side of the ball and feeling like they're rooting for you, not against you," he said. "It was really cool to see the energy in the clubhouse; you can tell guys are feeling confident and just rolling and really meshing together" — a version of team-wide confidence Baltimore hasn't had in a few years, nor much of during a deadline stretch that included four sell-side trades.
Earlier Saturday, Rutschman posted a farewell message on Instagram.
For the Orioles, what happens next with Rutschman matters beyond nostalgia. Whenever he's activated, it'll be the moment this trade stops being an offseason point and starts showing up on the field — with the Red Sox in active playoff contention and the return package Baltimore got for him, headlined by pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, still an unknown quantity the Orioles are counting on to help their own wild-card push in the meantime.