Red Sox get worrying Adley Rutschman injury update as star trade pickup is injured

The Boston Red Sox made a couple of interesting moves at the MLB trade deadline, with the biggest being their blockbuster intra-division deal for Adley Rutschman with the Baltimore Orioles.

Since coming to Boston, Rutschman has not been thriving. He's struggled after coming off the injured list, and now there is some more concern about his elbow injury.

According to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe, Red Sox manager Chad Tracy, during an appearance on WEEI, revealed Rutschman is dealing with an elbow issue, and it's one that he'll have to fight through for the rest of the 2026 MLB season.

Adley Rutschman dealing with an elbow injury that won't go away until after 2026

"Chad Tracy said on WEEI that Adley Rutschman's hyperextended elbow is still an issue and probably will be for the rest of the season," Healey shared. "He is out of the lineup today for a second day in a row, per Tracy."

This report from Tracy is a very worrying one for Rutschman, as the star catcher acquired for a haul at the deadline might not actually be fully healthy to close out the season.

After spending so much on the addition of Rutschman, not being able to slot him into the lineup due to injury, and the injury issue not being one that could be resolved, is especially concerning.

MORE: Why Chad Tracy has real chance to shed interim manager tag for Red Sox

The Red Sox are 75-53, fighting for a postseason spot, and trying to catch the Tampa Bay Rays atop the AL East. Having the three-time All-Star catcher healthy would be huge.

But unfortunately, this report from Tracy seems to indicate Rutschman is going to deal with this injury issue for the remainder of the 2026 MLB season.

In 15 games played with the Red Sox since the August 3 MLB trade deadline, he has posted -0.2 bWAR with a .170 batting average and a .500 OPS. His 43 OPS+ is well below his normal production and is less than half of his previous career-low.

This is a smaller sample size, and he could obviously turn things around in September and October for the Red Sox. More likely than not, however, is that Rustchman will continue to struggle as he deals with this elbow issue that seemingly won't go away.

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