The Red Sox paid a handsome price for former Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman at the MLB trade deadline, dealing a handful of top prospects for the former No. 1 overall pick. After a middling second half, Chad Tracy’s first playoff lineup decision as manager of the Red Sox puts a lot of faith in Rutschman.
Tracy unveiled the Red Sox starting lineup that would hit against Yankees ace and likely Cy Young Cam Schlittler in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card at Yankee Stadium. Unsurprisingly, former top overall prospect in baseball Roman Anthony is leading off, but it’s Rutschman batting second ahead of All-Star first baseman Willson Contreras in the #3 spot.
Rutschman’s place in the order had been messed around with in the final days of the regular season, with Rutschman batting second, third or fifth on a given night. Much of Rutschman’s batting second has to do with the loss of Mickey Gasper to a biceps injury, as Gasper was usually the guy Tracy wanted on base ahead of the Red Sox’ power bats.
Chad Tracy’s Informed Adley Rutschman Lineup Decision
The decision to bat Rutschman second isn’t arbitrary: Rutschman is one of just two Red Sox players currently to have an extra base hit against Schlittler this year, along with third baseman Caleb Durbin, who hit a two-run home run against him earlier this season.
The Red Sox’ starting nine of Anthony, Rutschman, Contreras, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Nick Sogard, Jarren Duran, Trevor Story and Durbin is just a combined 8-for-59 (.136) with the two extra base hits against Schlittler this season.
The lineup appears to be Chad Tracy’s best attempt at getting some runs across against Schlittler. The announcement comes amid musings that the Red Sox reportedly “wore out” the Rays’ Trajekt machine mimicking Schlittler’s arsenal this weekend while they were playing their season finale against the Cubs in the domed Tropicana Field due to heavy rain in Boston.
AL Wild Card Preview
The Yankees put out a platoon-heavy lineup of their own, starting veterans Paul Goldschmidt and Amed Rosario over Luis Garcia Jr. at first and Jazz Chisholm Jr at second. The Yankees got a “mini break” as their games against the Orioles on Saturday and Sunday, with no clinching scenarios on the line, were canceled due to the same nor’easter that pushed the Sox and Cubs to Florida.
It’ll be a rematch of the 2025 American League Wild Card series, which the Yankees won in three electrifying games, but with a different cast of characters, Rutschman chief among them. The Red Sox will surely rely on him finding his bat this series after posting a disappointing .222/.278/.410 slash in the final two months of the season after the trade from Baltimore. He’ll be thrown immediately into the fire against Schlittler, and it should certainly be a fun one.
Red Sox Make Adley Rutschman Decision for Wild Card Game 1