The Orioles (69-71) open a four-game series against the Red Sox on Thursday at Camden Yards, and for the first time since the trade deadline, Adley Rutschman returns to Baltimore wearing a different uniform. Whether he actually takes the field is another matter — more on that below.
The trade itself still looms over this series. Baltimore sent Rutschman, catcher Jake Rogers, and cash to Boston at the August 3 deadline, netting a return built around right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar, catcher Carlos Narváez, and a player to be named later (since named as outfield prospect Harold Rivas).
Orioles president Mike Elias made clear at the time that it took an overwhelming offer to move a former No. 1 overall pick. "It wasn't going to be any trade," Elias said. "It was going to have to be something that we were overwhelmed by, and we were."
A month in, the early returns favor Baltimore. Eyanson, who instantly became the organization's top pitching prospect, has barely missed a beat since switching organizations. In his first start for Double-A Chesapeake, he struck out nine over five innings, and he's continued to miss bats regularly since.
He's settling into his new surroundings. "I truly believe that everything happens for a reason and really excited for these new beginnings," Eyanson said shortly after the trade. "I've hit it off right away with everybody in the pitching development, the guys here and everyone around the clubhouse."
Scouts already project him as a mid-rotation arm with a chance to reach Baltimore at some point in 2027.
Narváez, the lone major-league ready player acquired by Baltimore in the dea, has quietly made his own case for the trade's value, even while producing little at the plate himself. His defense and game-calling have won over the pitching staff and coaches. "He's elite at what he does," Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. "I haven't been around a catcher that's more prepared than him."
Narváez has credited the work he puts in behind the scenes for that reputation. "I do my homework, I know their strengths," he said, describing how he approaches game-planning for opposing hitters with Baltimore's pitchers. After a recent game, veteran pitcher Chris Bassitt credited Narváez' game-calling with turning the tide of what became an 8-5 win against the Athletics, even in a game in which Gunnar Henderson hit two home runs.
"My only adjustment was to let Narvy call the whole game after the third," said Bassitt, who allowed runs in each of the first three innings. "I know Gunnar had a really, really good game, but I think Narvy won us this game... Navry's ones of the best guys I've ever seen prepared for a game."
Rutschman's time in Boston, meanwhile, has been anything but smooth. He missed roughly three weeks after the trade getting his wrist healthy, not making his Red Sox debut until August 11.
He then played in 15 games before a new issue emerged — a hyperextended right elbow, unrelated to the wrist problem — and he hasn't played since August 30. The club has said the elbow could continue to come and go for the rest of the season, leaving his availability for this series in Baltimore very much in question.
The numbers since the trade haven't helped his case, either. Rutschman is just 9-for-53 (.169) with one home run and four RBI in a Red Sox uniform, and his season-long OPS has dipped from .764 to .718 since he left Baltimore.
The Adley Rutschman trade is looking better by the day. https://t.co/DIowfhzDqE
— Baltimore Sports Feed (@BmoreSportsFeed) September 1, 2026
All of it comes against the backdrop of where the Orioles stand. Baltimore climbed back to .500 for the first time since April over the weekend, a genuine achievement given how far under water the club was earlier in the year. That momentum took a hit with a series loss in Colorado to close out the road trip, a reminder of how unsettled the picture still is for a team trying to convince itself, and its fan base, that a real playoff push is possible if it gets there.
Boston sends left-hander Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.27 ERA) to the mound Thursday, with Brandon Young (9-3, 3.38 ERA) starting for Baltimore in the opener of the four-game set.
Probable Starters
Boston Red Sox: LHP Jake Bennett (9-6, 3.27 ERA)
Baltimore Orioles: RHP Brandon Young (9-3, 3.38 ERA)
Where to Watch/Listen
First pitch: 7:35 PM ET at Oriole Park at Camden Yards
TV: MASN
Radio: 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and WBAL NewsRadio (AM 1090 / FM 101.5)