The Boston Red Sox are set to play the Toronto Blue Jays for Game 2 of a four-game set at Rogers Centre at 7:07 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.
The Blue Jays won the first game of the series 2-1 on Monday.
The Red Sox are expected to activate star catcher Adley Rutschman, whom Boston acquired from the Baltimore Orioles on Aug. 3, before Tuesday’s game, according to multiple reports. As a corresponding move, it appears the Red Sox will cut a seven-year MLB veteran.
Boston Red Sox expected to Cut 7-Year MLB Veteran
MassLive’s Chris Cotillo wrote (X): “Red Sox haven’t yet announced roster moves but it appears Jake Rogers is the odd man out, as expected, with Adley Rutschman due back.”
UPDATE: The Red Sox have officially reinstated Rutschman from the IL and DFA’d Rogers, according to Cotillo.
Rogers is out of minor-league options, meaning Boston cannot option him to Triple-A. To remove the catcher from the active roster, the Red Sox will have to designate him for assignment.
Looking at Jake Rogers
The Red Sox acquired Rogers as part of the Rutschman trade with the Orioles. In exchange for the two catchers, Baltimore received right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfielder Enddy Azocar, catcher Carlos Narváez and a player to be named later.
The Tigers designated Rogers for assignment after reinstating Javier Báez from the injured list late last month. The Tigers then traded Rogers to the Orioles.
Rogers hit just .161/.266/.301 with three home runs and nine RBI with the Tigers this season. He went 1-for-5 with the Orioles and 3-for-6 with the Red Sox.
The Houston Astros selected Rogers in the third round (No. 97 overall) of the 2016 MLB Draft out of Tulane.
The Astros traded Rogers, outfielder Daz Cameron and right-hander Franklin Perez to the Tigers as part of the Justin Verlander trade on Aug. 31, 2017. Nine seasons later, Rogers got the opportunity to play with Verlander, who signed a one-year deal with Detroit this past offseason and will retire after this season.
Rogers appeared in 35 games in 2019. He posted a poor .481 OPS in 128 plate appearances.
Rogers returned to the majors in 2021. That season, he posted a solid .239/.306/.496 slash line with six home runs and 17 RBI in 127 plate appearances across 38 games. Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2022 season due to an injury.
Rogers had a decent .730 OPS over 107 games with Detroit in 2023. Then, he hit below .200 in each season from 2024-26, prompting the Tigers to designate him for assignment.
Rogers has hit well in the postseason. In 2024, he went 6-for-22 with a double, three walks and two RBI. He had just one plate appearance last postseason and collected a hit.
Boston Red Sox Cut 7-Year MLB Veteran During Blue Jays Series