New York Yankees Rutherford was selected by the
New York Yankees with the 18th overall pick in the
2016 MLB draft, and signed a contract with the team on June 29, 2016, with a
signing bonus of $3,282,000. Rutherford began his professional career with the
Gulf Coast Yankees of the
Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, and was promoted to the
Pulaski Yankees of the Rookie-level
Appalachian League after a few weeks. He finished his first professional season batting .351 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 33 games between both clubs. Rutherford began the 2017 season with the
Charleston RiverDogs of the
Single–A South Atlantic League.
Chicago White Sox On July 18, 2017, the Yankees traded Rutherford,
Tyler Clippard,
Ian Clarkin, and
Tito Polo to the
Chicago White Sox in exchange for
David Robertson,
Todd Frazier, and
Tommy Kahnle. Rutherford then joined the Single–A
Kannapolis Intimidators. He finished 2017 with a combined .260 batting average with two home runs and 35 RBI in 101 games between both teams. In 2018, he played for the
Winston-Salem Dash, slashing .293/.345/.436 with seven home runs, 78 RBI, and 15 stolen bases in 115 games. He spent 2019 with the
Birmingham Barons, batting .265 with seven home runs and 49 RBI over 118 games. He was selected to play in the
Arizona Fall League for the
Glendale Desert Dogs following the season. On November 20, 2019, the White Sox added Rutherford to their
40-man roster to protect him from the
Rule 5 draft. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic. Rutherford spent the 2021 season with the
Charlotte Knights where he slashed .250/.286/.404 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI over 115 games. On March 29, 2022, Rutherford was
designated for assignment after Chicago acquired
Adam Haseley. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to Triple-A on April 1. Spending the year with Triple-A Charlotte, Rutherford played in 116 games, posting a slash of .271/.311/.428 with 13 home runs, 58 RBI, and 8 stolen bases. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.
Washington Nationals On February 3, 2023, Rutherford signed a minor league contract with the
Washington Nationals organization. In 62 games split between the Double–A
Harrisburg Senators and Triple–A
Rochester Red Wings, he hit a cumulative .345/.395/.583 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI, and 7 stolen bases. On August 4, Rutherford was selected to the
40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. In 16 games for Washington, he went 6–for–35 (.171) with 2 RBI and one walk. Following the season on October 18, Rutherford was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Rochester. However, he subsequently rejected the assignment and elected free agency.
Kansas City Monarchs On April 17, 2024, Rutherford signed with the
Kansas City Monarchs of the
American Association of Professional Baseball. In 17 games, he batted .328/.380/.531 with 3 home runs and 20 RBI.
Toros de Tijuana On June 14, 2024, Rutherford's contract was purchased by the
Toros de Tijuana of the
Mexican League. In 24 games for Tijuana, he batted .257/.337/.608 with seven home runs and 13 RBI. Rutherford made 17 appearances for Tijuana in 2025, slashing .250/.292/.433 with two home runs and five RBI.
Kansas City Monarchs (second stint) On June 4, 2025, Rutherford was loaned to the
Kansas City Monarchs of the
American Association of Professional Baseball. In 50 appearances for the Monarchs, Rutherford slashed .240/.285/.380 with five home runs, 30 RBI, and five stolen bases.
Kane County Cougars On August 21, 2025, Rutherford signed with the
Kane County Cougars of the
American Association of Professional Baseball. In eight appearances for the Cougars, he went 9-for-27 (.333) with one home run and three RBI. With Kane County, Rutherford won the American Association championship.
Staten Island FerryHawks On April 18, 2026, Rutherford signed with the
Staten Island FerryHawks of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. ==Personal life==