Adley Rutschman is making strides in his injury progression, and the Boston Red Sox feel their prized trade deadline acquisition is “close” to beginning a rehab assignment.

“He’s received off the machine inside, he hit pretty aggressively today, he was out on the field earlier and threw the bases,” interim manager Chad Tracy said pregame Thursday. “So quite a bit (of baseball activities) actually. And he’s done some agility work and some running, so he’s doing quite a bit.”

Rutschman has yet to catch a side session from a live pitcher, Tracy said, but is “doing work in the cage, off velo and stuff.” He last played on July 18, before the Baltimore Orioles placed him on the 10-day injured list with left wrist inflammation, his third stint on the IL this year. Through 67 games in his third All-Star season in five years in the majors, Rutschman is hitting .251 with a .764 OPS, 62 hits, 19 doubles, eight home runs, 30 runs, 40 RBI, 30 walks and 40 strikeouts.

Before the Orioles traded their 2019 first-overall pick to Boston at Monday’s deadline, they estimated Rutschman would be ready to begin a rehab assignment the first or second week of August. That could still be the case for Rutschman, but there are more hurdles to clear as he and his new team’s medical staff get familiar with one another.

“I think we’re close, I just don’t want to commit to like, exactly which day that would be,” Tracy said. “He’s still obviously just checking a couple of these boxes. So I think he’s close, but I just want to make sure that he gets through whatever the medical staff wants him to get through, and make that it’s right before we do.

“So it’s just because we just got them and we weren’t overseeing the first part of that rehab. It’s difficult for me to give you an exact date on when we think that would be.”

In the meantime, Rutschman is familiarizing himself with the pitchers he’ll catch whenever he comes off the injured list. He’s sitting with them during games to “pick their brain,” Tracy said, and joining the pitcher-catcher meetings every day. “It’s pretty inclusive as far as the pitchers’ participation, but also (pitching coach Andrew Bailey) and the catcher going through the lineup you’re about to face for that day.”

Tracy feels Rutschman and the other trade deadline additions, catcher Jake Rogers, lefty reliever Erik Miller and infielder Curtis Mead are integrating well.

“Baseball forces you to do that,” Tracy said. “You start talking baseball, and usually, for these guys, like baseball’s their bond. Like you start talking baseball and meeting in the minds, and talk the game, and you get to know people really quickly.

“So you let them do their thing in that regard. You invite them, you make them feel welcome in hitters’ meetings, and usually you look up after two or three days, and it feels like (they’ve) been a part of the group for a month.”