Adley Rutschman is returning to Camden Yards tonight, with a huge ovation on deck.

Rutschman is making his first appearance in Baltimore since the Orioles traded him to the Red Sox at the deadline for four prospects and catcher Carlos Narváez. He’s 9-for-53 with a double, home run, six walks and 15 strikeouts in 59 plate appearances and hasn’t played since Sunday due to elbow soreness.

He’s back in the lineup tonight, batting third and catching.

The Orioles are starting Chris Bassitt on Saturday and Rutschman is 5-for-16 with three doubles against him.

Blaze Alexander is leading off tonight and playing second base. Coby Mayo is batting second and serving as designated hitter.

Mayo’s slashing .322/.383/.760 with 15 home runs against left-handers.

Alexander is one of nine major league players this season with at least 250 plate appearances and a .300 or better batting average. He would be the first player to hit .300 in his first season with the Orioles in a minimum 250 plate appearances since Hanser Alberto in 2019.

Luis Robert Jr. is in center field, with Dylan Beavers in left and Leody Taveras in right.

Brandon Young is 9-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 23 starts. He held the Athletics to one run over seven innings in his last outing.

The Orioles are 18-5 in Young’s starts, the sixth time that they’ve won at least 18 of a pitcher’s first 23 starts in a season. The others were for Dave McNally (1966, 1969), Steve Stone (1980) and Chris Tillman (2013, 2016).

Young’s second start this season came against the Red Sox at Camden Yards and he allowed three runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Wilyer Abreu homered off him.

The Red Sox won 17-1 the next day and fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches.

Rookie left-hander Jake Bennett, the Nationals’ second-round draft pick in 2022 out of the University of Oklahoma, is 9-6 with a 3.27 ERA and 1.036 WHIP in 16 starts. He’s walked only 18 batters and surrendered seven home runs in 93 2/3 innings.

Bennett shut out the Yankees on three hits over six innings in his last start, his fourth scoreless outing this season. He faced the Orioles in Game 1 of a July 22 doubleheader at Fenway Park and allowed three runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings. Christian Encarnacion-Strand homered off him.

Encarnacion-Strand went 3-for-3 against Bennett.

Left-handers are hitting .176/.242/.176 against Bennett and right-handers are hitting .247/.280/.376.

Boston is 5-4 against the Orioles this season and holds the second Wild Card with a 75-65 record despite losing six of its last eight games, including a 16-1 thrashing from the Yankees.

The Red Sox have won three straight road series against the Orioles, their longest streak in Baltimore since 2018-19.

One key to the Red Sox’s turnaround is how they’re 17-7 in games decided by two runs or fewer since the beginning of July, the best mark in the majors. Prior to July, they were 13-26 in these games for the second-worst percentage at .333.

Willson Contreras has 14 hits and 11 RBIs against the Orioles this season. No one has driven in more runs.

Contreras’ 1.155 career OPS against the Orioles is the second best by any active player in a minimum 50 plate appearances after Aaron Judge’s 1.188, per STATS.

For the Orioles
Blaze Alexander 2B
Coby Mayo DH
Luis Robert Jr. CF
Pete Alonso 1B
Gunnar Henderson SS
Christian Encarnacion-Strand 3B
Leody Taveras RF
Dylan Beavers LF
Carlos Narváez C

Brandon Young RHP

For the Red Sox
Roman Anthony DH
Mickey Gasper 1B
Adley Rutschman C
Wilyer Abreu RF
Nick Sogard 2B
Caleb Durbin 3B
Jarren Duran LF
Eli White CF
Isiah Kiner-Falefa SS

Jake Bennett LHP

Tonight’s game airs exclusively on FOX.

Reliever Anthony Nunez is on the taxi squad.

Updates on two players designated for assignment by the Orioles:

Infielder Luis Vázquez cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Mets claimed right-hander Cameron Weston.

High-A Frederick’s Enddy Azocar was named the South Atlantic League’s Player of the Month for August.

Double-A Chesapeake outfielder Thomas Sosa is unavailable due to a right hand laceration.