Adley Rutschman set to return as Red Sox add marquee catcher for Tuesday night in Toronto

The Boston Red Sox are preparing to turn a major trade-deadline acquisition into lineup reinforcement. Adley Rutschman, the catcher they acquired from the Orioles at the deadline, is scheduled to be activated soon after spending much of the late summer stretch sidelined.

Rutschman has been on the injured list since the middle of July with left wrist inflammation. With that setback managed and Boston expecting him back, the Red Sox anticipate seeing his bat and his catching behind the plate starting Tuesday night.

Interim manager Chad Tracy told media after Monday’s loss that the plan is for Rutschman to be activated in time to face Dylan Cease and the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto. The matchup matters beyond the individual return because it gives Boston a chance to stabilize a core role and put a well-known receiver back at the center of its day-to-day approach.

The timing also underscores how the trade-deadline addition was supposed to help a push in the second half. While the Red Sox have been playing without their newest centerpiece behind the plate, Tuesday’s activation would mark the first time Rutschman is available to contribute as Boston’s marquee newcomer rather than as a looming return target.

Cease, the Blue Jays’ opponent in Toronto, brings a different style of starter than many clubs see on an average two-game stretch. For Boston, the matchup will be a practical test of how quickly Rutschman can work back into the rhythm of game-calling and pitcher handling at full speed.

For Rutschman, the return carries an obvious on-field requirement after an injury that affects a key tool. A catcher’s wrist health is integral to receiving, throwing, and maintaining comfort through repeated at-bats and game repetitions, and Boston’s decision to activate him suggests the team believes he is past the point where the left wrist inflammation would compromise his role.

What to watch next is simple and immediate: Boston’s decision on whether Rutschman starts at catcher, how his workload is managed early, and how quickly he adjusts to in-game pitch sequences as he begins his time with the Red Sox in meaningful late-season innings.