Rutherford relishes long-awaited MLB debut

CINCINNATI – Blake Rutherford initially figured he’d make his major league debut for the team that used its first-round draft pick on him in 2016: the Yankees. When he was part of a significant trade one year later, he assumed his debut would now come for the club that acquired him: the White Sox.

So imagine what must’ve been going through Rutherford’s mind Friday night when he took the field at Great American Ball Park, making his long-awaited major league debut not for the Yankees, not for the White Sox but for the Nationals.

“A lot of emotions,” the 26-year-old admitted. “A lot of people to thank. A lot of special people in my life that allowed me to get to this moment.”

The path may have been longer and more winding than he imagined when he became a professional seven years ago, but that didn’t make the end result any less sweet for Rutherford. He’s a big leaguer now, promoted by the Nationals and thrust into their starting lineup in left field for Friday’s series opener against the Reds after veteran Corey Dickerson was released.

Rutherford was a top-50 prospect in the sport back in 2017, the 18th overall pick in the draft by the Yankees out of his Southern California high school. And he was highly touted enough to be part of a four-player package (including Tyler Clippard) the Yankees sent to the White Sox in a July 2017 trade for Todd Frazier, David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle.

Once in Chicago’s farm system, Rutherford hit well in Single-A but stalled at the Double-A and Triple-A levels sandwiched around the pandemic. And once he was optioned three times and then designated for assignment without ever making his major league debut, he was entitled to free agency last winter.

The Nationals came calling, offering a minor league contract and a spot on Double-A Harrisburg’s roster to begin the season. And Rutherford responded to this new opportunity by hitting. And then hitting some more.

In 32 games with Harrisburg, he posted an impressive .341/.390/.612 slash line. That earned him a promotion to Triple-A Rochester, where his numbers (.349/.400/.547) were just as impressive across 30 games.

“I just wanted a fresh start with an organization to go and play, learn from new coaches, learn from everybody, learn from the players around me,” he said. “And I couldn’t be happier with the decision I made. It’s been an amazing opportunity. I couldn’t have better things to say about this place.”

Rutherford will get another opportunity to show what he can do at the major league level. Manager Davey Martinez suggested he’ll get ample playing time in left field, sharing the job with Stone Garrett as perhaps another lefty-righty platoon pairing.

Day one didn’t go quite as well as Rutherford dreamed. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and a double play. But he did get to experience and celebrate the Nationals’ 6-3, 10-inning victory over the Reds. And he did so with about 30 friends and family members in attendance, including his parents (who happened to be visiting relatives in nearby Michigan), his girlfriend (who happened to have just returned home from a trip to France), his brother and his grandfather.

“I’m just excited to share the moment with them,” he said. “They’re a part of it as much as I am. I couldn’t be happier, couldn’t be more thankful. It’s a special moment. They deserve it just as much as I do.”