Laura Rutledge Husband: Who Is Former MLB Player Josh Rutledge?
Laura Rutledge is one of ESPN’s most recognizable sports broadcasters, but her connection to professional sports extends far beyond the studio. Her husband, Josh Rutledge, is a former Major League Baseball player who later built a career in business and real estate.
The couple first met in 2011 at a football tailgate at the University of Alabama. What began as a chance meeting eventually became a long-term relationship, marriage and family life built around their shared understanding of competitive sports.
Laura and Josh married in December 2013 and later welcomed two children, daughter Reese and son Jack. More than a decade into their marriage, they have supported one another through major career changes, including Laura’s rise at ESPN and Josh’s transition from professional baseball into business.
For people searching for Laura Rutledge’s husband, Josh has a story that goes well beyond being married to a television personality.
Who Is Laura Rutledge’s Husband?
Laura Rutledge’s husband is Josh Rutledge, a former professional baseball player originally from Cullman, Alabama.
Josh spent several years playing in Major League Baseball before moving into finance, real estate and business ownership.
His sporting background has created a natural connection with Laura’s career.
She spends much of her professional life discussing football, baseball and other major sports, while Josh understands the athlete’s side of that world from personal experience.
Laura has said that this shared knowledge has helped their relationship because both understand demanding schedules, travel and the pressures that come with working in sports.
Their careers have taken very different forms, but sports have remained part of both of their lives.
Josh Grew Up in Alabama
Josh was raised in Cullman, Alabama.
Baseball became an important part of his life from an early age.
He played the sport during high school and became one of the state’s standout players.
During his senior year, Josh helped his team win a state championship and was named Alabama 5A Player of the Year.
Those achievements helped him continue his baseball career at the University of Alabama.
He enrolled there in 2007 and played for the Crimson Tide.
College baseball eventually gave him the opportunity to pursue something even bigger.
Professional teams began paying attention.
Josh Was Drafted by the Colorado Rockies
Josh’s baseball career took a major step forward in 2010 when the Colorado Rockies selected him in the MLB Draft.
He decided to leave college early to pursue professional baseball.
That meant adjusting quickly to a completely different lifestyle.
Professional baseball involves constant travel, changing teams and long seasons.
Josh once explained that one of the biggest differences between college baseball and the professional game was the lack of certainty about where a player might be at any given time.
The sport itself remained familiar.
The lifestyle surrounding it changed considerably.
Josh worked through the minor leagues before eventually reaching Major League Baseball.
He Played in Major League Baseball
Josh made his MLB debut in 2012.
He began his major league career with the Colorado Rockies and later played for the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox.
As an infielder, he appeared at several positions and spent multiple seasons competing at the highest level of professional baseball.
His career took him across the country and introduced him to the routine that comes with being a professional athlete.
Later, Josh spent time within the San Francisco Giants organization before retiring from professional baseball in 2018.
By then, he and Laura had already been married for several years.
Retirement meant that both of them had to adjust to a new stage of their lives.
How Did Laura and Josh Meet?
Laura and Josh first met in 2011 at a University of Alabama football game.
Their introduction was almost completely accidental.
Laura has explained that she walked up to a random tailgate and happened to meet Josh there.
There was no formal setup or carefully arranged first date.
They simply crossed paths because both were attending the same game.
Years later, the couple returned to the exact tailgate where they had first met.
Laura shared the memory publicly and pointed out that they were able to find the same tent connected with the beginning of their relationship.
For a couple whose careers remained so closely connected to sports, meeting at a college football tailgate seems particularly fitting.
They Married in 2013
Laura and Josh married on December 7, 2013.
The wedding came roughly two years after their first meeting.
Since then, Laura has occasionally shared photographs from their wedding day, including moments from their first look and reception.
When the couple celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary in 2023, Laura reflected on everything that had changed since the ceremony.
Their lives had grown from two young professionals into a family with children, new careers and many shared experiences.
She described Josh as her best friend and expressed gratitude for being able to build a life together.
Laura Built a Career at ESPN
While Josh was developing his baseball career, Laura was creating a name for herself in broadcasting.
Her path began in a very different setting.
Laura won the Miss Florida title in 2012 before moving more seriously into sports journalism.
She eventually became a prominent ESPN personality, covering college football and hosting NFL Live.
Her work requires detailed knowledge of sports as well as the ability to handle live television, interviews and breaking news.
Josh has been one of the people supporting her throughout that rise.
Laura has said that he has consistently encouraged her professional ambitions, whether she was covering college football, baseball or other sports.
That support appears to work both ways.
She also experienced Josh’s baseball career firsthand and understood the demands placed on professional players.
Their Shared Sports Background Helps Their Marriage
Laura once explained that having two people with sports careers has actually been helpful rather than difficult.
Both know what unpredictable schedules feel like.
Both understand that travel can appear with little notice.
Both know that losing, criticism and professional changes can affect someone emotionally even after work is technically finished.
That makes their relationship different from one where only one partner understands the sports world.
Laura can recognize the pressure Josh faced as an athlete.
Josh can understand why Laura may need to travel for a game or spend long hours preparing for a broadcast.
The shared experience gives them a useful perspective on each other’s careers.
They Welcomed Daughter Reese
Laura and Josh became parents for the first time in October 2019 when their daughter Reese was born.
Parenthood added another major responsibility to lives that were already busy professionally.
Reese quickly became an important part of the family’s public story.
Laura has occasionally shared family photographs while still maintaining boundaries around how much of their personal life appears online.
As Reese grew older, another family change was on the way.
Laura and Josh announced that she would become a big sister.
Their Son Jack Arrived in 2023
Laura and Josh welcomed their second child, son Jack, in May 2023.
His arrival was especially meaningful because the family had experienced a miscarriage in 2021.
Laura later spoke about how important it felt to give Reese a sibling after that difficult period.
She also shared that Reese was extremely excited to become an older sister and was already talking about the things she wanted to teach her baby brother.
The arrival of Jack turned Laura and Josh into a family of four.
Later that year, Jack experienced health complications that required medical care.
Laura shared that he was expected to recover fully, although the process would take time.
The experience became another challenging chapter for the family.
Josh Returned to Finish His Degree
One detail about Josh’s story that stands out is that he eventually returned to complete the college degree he had paused when professional baseball came calling.
He graduated from the University of Alabama in 2019 with a bachelor of science degree.
Josh publicly thanked his family, friends and Laura for their support while celebrating the milestone.
Finishing the degree years after leaving school for professional baseball represented a different kind of accomplishment.
It showed that his college chapter was not permanently closed simply because his baseball career had begun early.
Life After Professional Baseball
Josh’s career did not stop when baseball ended.
After retiring, he began building a professional identity outside sports.
He first worked as a financial adviser for several years.
That role gave him experience in a completely different industry and prepared him for another career change.
By 2022, Josh had moved into real estate.
He became a licensed realtor and began working with buyers and sellers.
The transition suited interests he already had.
Josh had long enjoyed exploring property, land and homes, making real estate a natural second career.
Josh Works in Real Estate
Josh became associated with Coldwell Banker in the West Hartford, Connecticut, area.
He has also been licensed to work in Massachusetts.
His social media activity has included property listings and updates about his real estate work.
For someone who spent years in professional baseball, the switch represents a major lifestyle change.
Baseball careers are controlled by schedules, road trips, training and roster decisions.
Real estate has its own pressures, but it provides a very different kind of professional routine.
Josh has embraced that next stage.
He Also Became a Business Owner
Real estate is not Josh’s only business interest.
He also became a co-owner of West Alabama Ford, a dealership in Sulligent, Alabama.
He announced his involvement in the dealership in 2022.
The business connection brought Josh back to his Alabama roots.
His career after baseball therefore developed across several areas rather than following one predictable path.
Finance, real estate and automotive business ownership all became parts of his professional life.
Josh Still Loves the Outdoors
Away from business and family, Josh has retained his interest in outdoor activities.
He enjoys both hunting and fishing.
Over the years, he has shared photographs of different fishing trips and catches, including bass and other species.
He has also been interested in bow hunting.
These hobbies provide a quieter contrast with Laura’s high-profile television career.
When she is working under studio lights or covering major football games, Josh’s free time may involve being outdoors instead.
Josh Has Supported Laura’s Growing Career
Laura’s professional life has grown considerably since the couple married.
She became one of ESPN’s prominent hosts and reporters, particularly through NFL Live and college football coverage.
Working for a major sports network can involve weekends, holidays and extensive travel.
Josh appears to understand those demands because his own baseball career once involved similar disruptions.
Laura has consistently described him as someone who encourages her rather than asking her to step away from opportunities.
That support has likely become even more important as they raise two children together.
Parenting while maintaining two careers requires flexibility from both people.
Laura and Josh Rutledge Today
Laura Rutledge and Josh Rutledge have now been married for more than a decade.
Their relationship started unexpectedly at a football tailgate and grew through the very different stages of their careers.
Josh moved from college baseball to the Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox before retiring.
Laura went from Miss Florida to becoming one of ESPN’s recognizable sports broadcasters.
They later became parents to Reese and Jack while continuing to develop their professional lives.
For people searching for Laura Rutledge’s husband, Josh Rutledge is much more than a former athlete standing beside a television host.
He is a former MLB infielder, University of Alabama graduate, realtor, business owner and father.
Their relationship has remained closely connected to sports from the beginning, but the biggest part of their story now happens away from stadiums.
More than a decade after that chance meeting at an Alabama tailgate, Laura and Josh are raising two children, supporting each other through career changes and continuing to build a family life that began with one very unexpected introduction.
