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.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Outrighted to Triple-A
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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.
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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: Focused on bulking up
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Rutherford gained 12 pounds of muscle over the offseason, Scott Merkin of MLB.com reports.
Rutherford is up to 212 pounds and spoke to the media about the importance of maintaining the positive weight throughout the season. General manager Rich Hahn added that he believes Rutherford built muscle in response to criticism from others over his lack of power in the minor leagues, though Hahn stated that wasn't a concern of the club. Rutherford spent the entirety of the 2019 campaign at Double-A Birmingham, where he hit .265/.319/.365 with seven home runs and nine stolen bases.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Contract selected by White Sox
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Rutherford was added to the White Sox's 40-man roster Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Rutherford progressed to Double-A Birmingham in 2019, where he hit .265/.319/.365 with seven home runs and 49 RBI over 118 games. He appeared in big-league spring training prior to the season, but he still likely has some time before he makes his major-league debut. His addition to the 40-man roster protects him from the Rule 5 draft.
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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
Rotowire
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: Invited to spring training
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Rutherford was invited to big-league spring training, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Rutherford spent the entirety of the 2018 season at High-A Winston-Salem and led the Carolina League with 78 RBI and 131 hits. Most evaluators would like to see him hit more for power -- he went from two home runs to seven from 2017 to 2018 -- but the White Sox remain patient with Rutherford. The 21-year-old is expected to start the year at Double-A Birmingham, where we'll be watching to see if the corner outfielder can find his power zone.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Has hit streak snapped
Rotowire
Rutherford went 0-for-3 on Sunday for High-A Winston-Salem, snapping a 12-game hitting streak. The 21-year-old was banged up earlier this month, but has shown no signs of wear.
Rutherford hit .353 (18-for-51) during his streak, though only two of those hits went for extra bases. Winston-Salem manager Omar Vizquel cautioned against expectations being placed on the outfielder, telling Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune, Rutherford's swing is "very, very nice ... a lot of people say they are expecting power, but I don't think we should worry about that now. He's young and still learning his power zone. It will come." Rutherford has six home runs and leads the Dash with 66 RBI.
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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: Knocks in four Thursday
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Rutherford went 4-for-5 with four RBI for High-A Winston-Salem on Thursday.
Rutherford has come out of the gates strong, hitting everything in sight. The soon-to-be 21-year-old has a six-game hitting streak and is batting .404 through 11 games. There are still long-term concerns whether the 6-foot-3 Rutherford can remain in center field or if his bat will play as a corner outfielder, but the first priority from the White Sox's perspective is to get his bat working after a rough 2017, and the early signs this year are positive.
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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.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Will report to Low-A club
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Rutherford, who was acquired in a trade Tuesday, was assigned to Low-A Kannapolis on Wednesday, Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago reports.
The White Sox's top prize in the deal that sent Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle to the Yankees, Rutherford will keep playing at the Low-A level after hitting .281/.342/.391 in 304 plate appearances with New York's South Atlantic League affiliate. The 20-year-old outfielder doesn't boast one true standout tool, but he offers quality contact and baserunning skills and could add power as he fills out his 6-foot-3 frame. It will likely be another two years before Rutherford merits serious consideration for a promotion to the big leagues.
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White Sox's Blake Rutherford: Shipped to rebuilding White Sox
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Rutherford was traded to the White Sox on Tuesday as part of a multi-player deal.
Rutherford, who was one of the elite prospects in the Yankees' loaded farm system, is the headliner in the return the White Sox received for the services of major leaguers Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. Rutherford was the 18th overall pick in the 2016 draft and has shown off his impressive hit tool during his first two seasons within the Yankees' minor-league system. The 20-year-old is still likely a couple of years away from making his big-league debut, but is certainly a valuable dynasty asset moving forward.
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Yankees' Blake Rutherford: Holding steady at Low-A
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Rutherford, 20, is currently on the 7-day disabled list with that is being called a foot contusion.
Prior to the injury, Rutherford was slashing .280/.355/.394 with one home run, 18 RBI and nine steals in 47 games for Low-A Charleston. While the injury is not considered serious, the Yankees will almost certainly be cautious with their first-round pick from a year ago.
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Yankees' Blake Rutherford: Showcasing strong approach at Low-A
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Rutherford, 20, is hitting .255/.369/.340 with zero home runs, five steals (on six attempts) and a 24:17 K:BB in 111 plate appearances with Low-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The power that he put on display in spring training has yet to manifest in games against Low-A pitchers, but he is showcasing a very impressive approach and useful speed on the bases. Look for Rutherford's play to pick up this summer as he adjusts to the pitching at this level.
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Yankees' Blake Rutherford: To open year at Low-A
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Rutherford will open the season at Low-A Charleston.
He missed the final week of the 2016 season with a hamstring injury, but was the talk of Yankees minor-league camp this spring, making a lot of hard contact and looking the part of a top-30 prospect. Rutherford reported to camp at 205 pounds, up 13 pounds from his draft weight -- gains that he attributes to his dedication to nutrition and strength training over the winter, Baseball America's Josh Norris reports. The idea behind adding "good weight" is that he will be able stay strong throughout his first year in a full-season league. This spring he showed off impressive raw power to go with the speed to handle center field, and has the potential to be a five-category contributor for fantasy owners in time. His stock should continue to trend up throughout the 2017 season.
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Yankees' Blake Rutherford: Out for remainder of season
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Rutherford will miss the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury, MiLB.com reports.
Rutherford went 2-for-4 with a home run in his last game last Wednesday, but he hasn't played since and the reason being is now apparent. Per the report, the hamstring injury isn't believed to be anything overly serious, but the Yankees will play it safe with their first round pick from 2016 and shut down the 19-year-old for the remainder of the season.
