Fellow catcher Jake Rogers, who was acquired by the Orioles from the Detroit Tigers on Thursday, was also rerouted to the Red Sox.
The Orioles received a sizeable four-player return: pitching prospects Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, and catcher Carlos Narvaez.
Rutschman’s .251/.331/.433 slash line, eight homers and 47 RBIs this season already served as an improvement over his injury-riddled 2025 campaign, before his season was once again marred by health issues.
The three-time all-star was placed on the 10-day injured list with left-wrist inflammation on July 20.
The Orioles’ first-overall selection in 2019, Rutschman was the bedrock of a rebuild after six losing seasons.
But, 2.5 games back from a wild-card berth in a crowded AL race, and with the rise of outstanding rookie catcher Samuel Basallo, Baltimore is changing tactics by dealing a star in his prime.
Rutschman is entering his final year of arbitration and is set to become a free agent after the 2027 season.
All three of the prospects dealt by the Red Sox were in the top five of their farm system, per MLB Pipeline. Eyanson was ranked No. 2 — and No. 49 overall on MLB Pipeline’s list — Witherspoon No. 4, and Azocar No. 5.
Meanwhile, Narvaez, 27, stands to slot in as a backup for Basallo after serving as the Red Sox’s primary catcher for the last one-and-a-half seasons.