Adley Rutschman was supposed to spend his evening watching Spider-Man save the day. Instead, the Baltimore Orioles catcher learned that his own story was taking an unexpected turn.
Rutschman was walking into a theater to see “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with Orioles teammates Gunnar Henderson, Colton Cowser, and Ryan Mountcastle when he received the call informing him that he had been traded to the Boston Red Sox, according to the Baltimore Sun’s Jacob Calvin Meyer.
The players then ultimately made the decision to go home on Monday.
“I was actually walking into a movie when he got the call. (I) was with him,” Orioles outfielder Colton Cowser said per WJZ 13 Sports. “There was some shock there. You can see it on his face that something might have been brewing up. You could say there’s a little bit of shock factor just from the human side of it.
“Obviously it was tough,” he added. “It was pretty emotional. All I could do is give him a hug and tell him that I’m here for him and I love him.”
The Orioles, whose rebuild never came to fruition with Rutschman, sold off their star catcher — the first overall pick from the 2019 MLB Draft — for five players from the Red Sox headlined by right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, the #49 prospect in baseball and Boston’s #2 prospect. The Orioles also received back catcher Carlos Narváez, and prospects right-hander Kyson Witherspoon (Red Sox #4 prospect), outfielder Enddy Azocar (Red Sox #5 prospect), and a player to be named later. As part of the deal, the Orioles also sent catcher Jake Rogers to Boston as well.
“As a friend, he’s someone who I’ve grown really close with. And he’s gonna be in my wedding and someone who I’m gonna miss dearly on a day-to-day basis,” Cowser said. “And so that’s part of the, on the human side, that’s the part that sucks. It’s not getting to see him every day, but he’s gonna do great things and always be in his corner. But yeah, gonna miss him.”
Henderson, the Orioles shortstop, was so upset he couldn’t talk to reporters. He grew up with Rutschman in the minor leagues, with both of them making their Major League debuts in 2022.
“Not easy for me,” Henderson said. “Somebody who’s been with me for seven years. … I’m not going to be able to talk about it today. Sorry, guys.”
While the Rutschman trade was heartbreaking to players and many fans, the writing was on the wall in some ways. Despite GM Mike Elias wanting Rutschman to stay in Baltimore “forever,” the catcher was not interested when the Orioles tried to sign him to an extension last November and again in May, per Ryan Ripken.
During the last two seasons, Rutschman, 28, has also dealt with his share of injuries, playing in just 157 out of a possible 264 games. He’s currently on the injured list for the third time this season, due to left wrist inflammation, but was set to make a rehab appearance in the minor leagues as early as this week. His best season came in 2023 when he hit 20 home runs and had 80 RBI.
Rutschman joins a surging Red Sox team that had won three straight, 23 of its previous 26 games, and recently tied a franchise record with a 15-game winning streak.
“The team’s been extremely hot, and they’ve been doing a lot of stuff the right way,” Rutschman said per MLB.com. “So, excited to fit in where I can and just try and help the team as best as possible.”
But ultimately he was still working through a lot big feelings from his time in Baltimore.
“It’s a lot of emotion,” Rutschman said Tuesday night. “Played my entire career there and been a lot of unbelievable memories, made a lot of great friends for life. It’s tough goodbyes, but we’re onto the next thing and excited to be here and playing. It’s all part of the game.”
