Rutherford cleared outright assignment waivers Wednesday and elected to become a free agent, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Rutherford made just 36 plate appearances in the majors this season, recording six hits and two RBI in the process. However, he slashed .336/.393/.571 with 12 homers across 313 plate appearances between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester. His impressive minor-league stats will likely draw interest from teams searching for organizational outfield depth.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Recalled from Rochester
Rotowire
The Nationals recalled Rutherford from Triple-A Rochester on Tuesday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
The 26-year-old outfielder will get another look at the major-league level as Travis Blankenhorn heads to the 10-day injured list with plantar fasciitis. Rutherford has batted just .182 with a .388 OPS and 10 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances this season with Washington.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Demoted after Sunday's loss
Rotowire
The Nationals optioned Rutherford to Triple-A Rochester following Sunday's 2-1 loss to the Marlins, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Rutherford's demotion comes after he had recently ceded his strong-side platoon role in left field to Jake Alu, who had previously been handling an everyday role at second base. Given that Rutherford had been out of the lineup for five of the Nationals' last six games and had recorded a .182/.206/.182 slash line through his first 34 plate appearances in the majors, Washington's decision to send him back to the minors doesn't doesn't come as a major surprise.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Losing out on playing time
Rotowire
Rutherford is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Rutherford is on the bench for the fourth straight game and has seemingly lost hold of a strong-side platoon role while the Nationals have recently added Carter Kieboom and Jacob Young from the minor-league ranks. Since his call-up from Triple-A Rochester on Aug. 4, Rutherford has slashed .182/.206/.182 over 34 plate appearances.
Rutherford is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Yankees.
Jake Alu will start in left field as Ildemaro Vargas handles second base. Carter Kieboom is at third. Rutherford went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the Nationals' loss to New York on Wednesday and is batting just .182 with a .388 OPS across his first 34 major-league plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: On bench Tuesday
Rotowire
Rutherford is not in the lineup Tuesday against the Yankees.
Stone Garrett, Alex Call and Lane Thomas will start across the outfield for the Nationals as they face left-hander Carlos Rodon. The left-handed-hitting Rutherford has drawn only three plate appearances against southpaws this season at the MLB level.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Breaks out with three hits
Rotowire
Rutherford went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 8-7 win over the Phillies.
The 26-year-old went 0-for-16 following his promotion in early August, but Rutherford might be getting comfortable at the plate -- over his last three starts, he's gone 6-for-11 with two RBI and three runs. A first-round pick of the Yankees back in 2016, Rutherford is getting a look to see if he could be a contributor in 2024 and beyond.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Sits versus lefty
Rotowire
Rutherford isn't in Washington's lineup Saturday against the Phillies, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Southpaw Cristopher Sanchez will begin Saturday's game on the mound, so the lefty-hitting Rutherford will start off on the bench. Stone Garrett, Alex Call and Lane Thomas will start in the outfield from left to right.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Out against lefty
Rotowire
Rutherford is out of the lineup again Thursday versus the Red Sox.
Rutherford sat Wednesday with left-hander James Paxton toeing the slab for Boston, and he'll remain on the bench Thursday as the Nationals face another southpaw in Chris Sale. The 26-year-old outfielder has drawn only two plate appearances against lefties since his Aug. 4 promotion to the majors.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Idle versus lefty
Rotowire
Rutherford is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Red Sox, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.
Rutherford will give way to platoon mate Stone Garrett in left field while the Nationals oppose a lefty (James Paxton) on Wednesday. Since receiving his first big-league call-up Aug. 4, Rutherford has gone 3-for-23 with one walk against eight strikeouts.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Out against lefty
Rotowire
Rutherford is not in the starting lineup Sunday against the Athletics.
In his short major-league career, Rutherford has yet to start against a lefty, and that remains the case heading into Sunday's game. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut Aug. 2 and has appeared in five games since. In Saturday's game, the outfielder recorded his first two career hits.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Rutherford isn't in the Nationals' lineup Friday against Oakland, Andrew Golden of The Washington Post reports.
Rutherford remains hitless through 16 at-bats to begin his major-league career, so he'll get a breather Friday to regroup. Stone Garrett will fill Rutherford's place in left field and bat seventh.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Hits bench versus southpaw
Rotowire
Rutherford is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Phillies, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.
Following his call-up from Triple-A Rochester on Friday, Rutherford started in left field in both of the Nationals' matchups with right-handed pitchers this past weekend against the Reds, going 0-for-7 with four strikeouts between those contests. Though the lefty-hitting Rutherford will hit the bench Monday versus the Phillies, he looks like he'll get a trial in the strong-side platoon role in left field that Corey Dickerson had occupied prior to his release last week.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Selected to MLB roster
Rotowire
The Nationals selected Rutherford from Triple-A Rochester on Friday.
Rutherford has split time between Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Rochester, slashing .345/.395/.583 through 261 plate appearances between the two levels. The 26-year-old outfielder, a first-round pick of the Yankees back in 2016, will be making his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Hitless in debut
Rotowire
Rutherford made his major-league debut Friday, finishing 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in a victory over the Reds.
Rutherford, starting in left field and batting sixth, grounded into a double play in his first big-league plate appearance. He would go on to strike out twice, once against Graham Ashcraft and once against Alexis Diaz. A first-round pick by the Yankees in 2016, Rutherford has lost most of his prospect shine. That said, he put up a .349/.400/.547 line at Triple-A this season and the Nats figure to give him some time to evaluate whether he could be a fit on the roster in 2024.
... See More... See Less
Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Inks MiLB deal with Nats
Rotowire
Rutherford signed a minor-league contract with the Nationals on Friday.
Rutherford has already been assigned to Triple-A Rochester ahead of training camp. Once a top prospect for the Yankees and White Sox, the 25-year-old batted .271/.311/.428 with 13 home runs and eight stolen bases over 116 games at the Triple-A level in 2022.
... See More... See Less
White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
Rutherford cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday.
Rutherford lost his 40-man roster spot when the White Sox acquired Adam Haseley from the Phillies on Tuesday, but he'll remain part of the organization. He'll have to do better than the .250/.286/.404 line he managed for Charlotte last season if he's to make a push for his major-league debut.
... See More... See Less
White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Loses 40-man roster spot
Rotowire
Rutherford was designated for assignment by the White Sox on Tuesday, LaMond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Rutherford was a first-round pick in 2016 and looked good in the lower minors, but he's stalled out since reaching Double-A in 2019. He posted a 98 wRC+ at that level and followed it up with an 80 wRC+ in Triple-A last season. He's still just 24 years old, but his lack of success in the upper minors may dissuade teams from using a 40-man roster spot on him. The move clears space for the White Sox to add Adam Haseley, who was acquired in a trade with the Phillies.
... See More... See Less
White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Lands in player pool
Rotowire
The White Sox added Rutherford to the player pool Tuesday, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Rutherford, a first-round pick in 2016, has stalled in his progression since coming to the White Sox in 2017. The corner outfielder slugged a mere .365 with a .100 ISO across 438 plate appearances in 2019 at Double-A Birmingham.
... See More... See Less
White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Optioned to Double-A
Rotowire
The White Sox optioned Rutherford to Double-A Birmingham on Wednesday, Lamond Pope of the Chicago Tribune reports. He hit .154 (2-for-13) with a double, a walk and a run scored while in major-league camp.
Rutherford spent the offseason bulking up, presumably in response to criticism about his lack of power. The White Sox remain supportive of Rutherford, a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2017. He hit .265/.319/.365 with seven home runs over 480 plate appearances for the Barons in 2019. As a player that profiles as a corner outfielder, those numbers won't get him to the big leagues.
