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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Recalled from Rochester
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Demoted after Sunday's loss
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Losing out on playing time
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Sits versus lefty
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Breaks out with three hits
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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.
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Idle versus lefty
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Out against lefty
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Sitting Friday
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Hits bench versus southpaw
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Hitless in debut
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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.
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Nationals' Blake Rutherford: Selected to MLB roster
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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.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Loses 40-man roster spot
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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.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Lands in player pool
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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.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Three straight multi-hit games
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Rutherford went 4-for-5 with two RBI for Double-A Birmingham in its 7-5 win over Chattanooga.
Rutherford has collected nine hits -- eight singles and one double -- across the last three games, lifting his season average 20 points in the process. Even after the surge, Rutherford's line still sits at a punchless .253/.293/.345 across 242 plate appearances. The 22-year-old's lack of power in particular puts a cap on his fantasy appeal, especially since he'll likely be limited to a corner-outfield role once he arrives in the majors.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Returns to lineup
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Rutherford (undisclosed) is back in the lineup for Double-A Birmingham on Thursday, James Fegan of The Athletic reports.
Rutherford left Sunday's matchup with an undisclosed injury, and although the extent of the issue was never revealed, he appears to have returned to health. He's slashing .181/.224/.292 with three homers and 12 RBI over 40 games this season with the Barons.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Exits with injury
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Rutherford was removed from Sunday's game at Double-A Birmingham due to an undisclosed injury.
Rutherford is likely headed for further evaluation following his removal from the contest. The location and extent of the injury have yet to be determined.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Deemed day-to-day after early exit
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The White Sox are labeling Rutherford as day-to-day after the outfielder was banged up while attempting to make a catch at the wall in a game for High-A Winston-Salem on Wednesday, Rob Terranova of MiLB.com reports.
Rutherford flipped over the wall in pursuit of a deep fly to right field and was able to exit the field under his own power. The exact nature of Rutherford's injury hasn't been specified, but he was spotted walking with a limp, suggesting a leg issue could be in play. Though Rutherford's setback doesn't seem especially serious, the 21-year-old is the third major White Sox outfield prospect to succumb to an injury this week. Eloy Jimenez was ruled out for two weeks with an adductor strain and Luis Robert was ruled out for 4-to-8 weeks with a sprained thumb.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Low power output not a worry
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Rutherford has five home runs and slugged .398 over 134 career minor-league games, but the White Sox remain confident in his ability, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports. "Over time he's going to figure out, 'OK, what pitches can I drive here?' Maybe figure out pitches he can drive to the pull side. Things like that. He's showing signs of it and we are getting a little bit closer, but Blake has been, I couldn't be more excited to have him in our system," said White Sox director of player development Chris Getz.
Rutherford, who was the centerpiece acquired from the Yankees in the last year's Todd Frazier/David Robertson/Tommy Kahnle deal, slashed .213/.289/.254 in a 30-game look at Low-A Kannapolis. Despite an underwhelming minor-league performance, Getz remains patient with Rutherford. He cites the left-handed hitting outfielder using all fields and hanging in against lefties. The 20-year-old Rutherford has youth on his side, and there's still time for that predicted power to develop.
