Red Sox lose player to American League contender ahead of Pirates game

After a dreadful first half of the 2026 schedule, the Boston Red Sox have completely revitalized their season in July and August. They are currently sitting at 65-56, third place in the American League East. The club is nine and half games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the division. As far as the Wild Card, they are comfortably in the second spot and three games behind the leading New York Yankees. Amid this stretch, the Red Sox traded for the now-former Baltimore Orioles star catcher Adley Rutschman. They gave up a massive trade package in order to do so, as Rutschman is under contract through 2027. MORE: Yankees receive an Aaron Judge update ahead of Blue Jays matchup The odd casualty in the trade Aug 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Jake Rogers (46) slides into second base against the Athletics during the fourth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters) Rutschman was on the injured list at the time of the deal, and so Boston also received another catcher, that being Jake Rogers. He played three games in a Red Sox uniform, going 3-for-6 with two doubles, two walks and sacrifice fly. Rutschman came off the IL on Tuesday, and will of course start while Connor Wong remains the backup. Rogers was designated for assignment to open up that roster spot. Now a few days later, he has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com posted on X about the news. It has been further reported that Rogers will join the 40-man roster and be selected to the major league club for their series against the Detroit Tigers. A weird turn of events for Rogers Rogers was originally DFA’d by the Tigers on July 28 in order to let rookie Eduardo Valencia get some reps behind the plate. Rogers went to the Orioles a few days after that, the Red Sox a few days after that and now the White Sox. The 31-year-old previously spent all of his six MLB seasons with Detroit. Now, he will be helping Chicago try to figure out their pitching staff during this three-game series. Rogers has appeared in 373 total big league games, slashing .199/.272/.381 (.653 OPS) with 47 home runs and 140 RBIs. His value lies more in his catching defense, having posted 10 fielding run value over his career. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —