He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Braves, and Brooklyn Dodgers between 1942 and 1951.

Russell, a switch hitter who threw right-handed, stood 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall and weighed 181 pounds (82 kg) After beginning his minor league career in 1937, his contract was bought by the Pittsburgh Pirates in September 1942.

Russell was traded in November 1947 to the Boston Braves in a five-player transaction that included Danny Murtaugh, Johnny Hopp and Bill Salkeld.

He was the pennant-winning Braves' regular center fielder in 1948, starting 80 of Boston's 98 games played through early August.

[2] The first player in Pittsburgh Pirates history to hit a grand slam as a pinch-hitter, Russell was also the first player in Major League Baseball history to homer from both sides of the plate in the same game on two separate occasions, doing so on June 7, 1948 for the Boston Braves and on July 26, 1950 while with the Brooklyn Dodgers.