Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Grand slam, double in win
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Rushing went 2-for-4 with a grand slam, a double and two total runs scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Mets.
Rushing got a rare chance to play since Shohei Ohtani was in the lineup only as a pitcher, opening up the designated-hitter role. As has been the case early this year, Rushing took advantage of his opportunity with a big performance, driving in half of the Dodgers' runs with his eighth-inning slam to turn the game into a blowout. He's played in just five contests so far, but he's gone 9-for-17 (.529) with four homers, eight RBI, seven runs scored and two doubles. Rushing has already matched his homer total from last season, but he still doesn't have a clear path to playing time aside from the occasional start behind the dish when Will Smith needs to rest his legs.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Career-best effort in win
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Rushing went 4-for-4 with a two solo home runs and an additional run scored in Monday's win over the Blue Jays.
It was the first career multi-homer game out of Rushing, who also racked up a career-high four knocks Monday. The backstop is off to a ridiculous start in limited action, having gone 6-for-9 with three long balls in his first three appearances, but his pathway to steady reps is blocked by Will Smith at catcher. Rushing remains likely to mostly fill in behind the dish on occasions when Smith needs a breather.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Homers Sunday
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Rushing went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer in Sunday's 8-6 win over the Nationals.
Rushing got the Dodgers' comeback started in the sixth inning with a two-out, two-strike homer off lefty PJ Poulin, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The 25-year-old catcher hasn't seen a lot of playing time behind Will Smith early this year (Sunday's start was just his second of the season). Rushing has gone 2-for-5 to open the campaign after slashing .204/.258/.324 with four homers across 155 plate appearances as a rookie in the 2025 regular season.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Will not play outfield in 2026
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Manager Dave Roberts recently said that Rushing will not see playing time in the outfield this season, Aaron Coloma of Dodgers Nation reports.
After GM Brandon Gomes indicated over the winter that Rushing could get outfield reps again this season, Roberts has shut that down. "Outfield is not on the table," Roberts said. Rushing will serve as Will Smith's backup and could get some time at first base if Freddie Freeman needs a day off. It would seem Rushing may only get into a couple games a week to begin the season as a part-time player.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Reps in outfield not ruled out
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Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes indicated during last week's GM Meetings that the team hasn't ruled out giving Rushing some reps in the outfield, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Rushing has made a total of 32 starts in left field in the minors, but 37 of his 38 starts with the Dodgers in 2025 were at catcher and the other came at first base. Catcher and first base remain blocked with the big club, but the left-field job with the Dodgers is open. While it seems unlikely the Dodgers would commit to Rushing as their primary left fielder, the position offers the 24-year-old a potential path to playing time. Rushing struggled in a reserve role with the Dodgers this season, slashing just .204/.258/.324 with a 37.4 percent strikeout rate over 53 regular-season tilts.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Left off NLCS roster
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Rushing is not on the Dodgers' NLCS roster, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Rushing was on the wild-card and NLDS rosters and struck out as a pinch hitter in his lone plate appearance. With Will Smith fully recovered from his fractured hand and no longer under any workload restrictions, the team no longer has a need for a third catcher. Ben Rortvedt will back up Smith, and reliever Ben Casparius has taken Rushing's spot on the roster.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Battling bruised shin
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Rushing was pulled from Friday's game versus Baltimore with a right lower-leg contusion.
Rushing needed to be helped off the field after fouling a ball off his leg in the sixth inning, but the fact that the Dodgers are calling his injury a bruise suggests he managed to escape without any fractures. Los Angeles is expected to be without Will Smith (hand) for the entirety of the series against the O's, so Rushing's injury could spell increased playing time for Ben Rortvedt.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Clubs go-ahead homer
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Rushing went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Sunday's 8-2 win over the Padres.
Rushing was 0-for-9 with four strikeouts over his previous four games. He broke the slump in the seventh inning, putting the Dodgers ahead for good when he took Jeremiah Estrada deep. Rushing is up to three homers, 19 RBI, 12 runs scored and three doubles while slashing .187/.246/.299 over 118 plate appearances. He continues to serve as the backup to Will Smith behind the plate.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Slugs first big-league homer
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Rushing went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run in Saturday's 18-2 rout of the Yankees.
Things got so out of hand score-wise that Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts brought in Rushing to pinch hit for reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani in the sixth inning. The Yankees essentially waved the white flag when they called upon position player Pablo Reyes to pitch in the eighth, and Rushing took advantage by blasting a three-run home run for his first long ball as a major leaguer. Since being called up from the minors May 14, Rushing has been routinely starting every third game behind the plate, and he's compiled a .273/.304/.455 slash line with seven RBI through 23 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Gets on base three times in debut
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Rushing went 2-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored in Thursday's 19-2 win over the Athletics.
Rushing got a fun first taste of major-league action in this lopsided win in his debut. He didn't look out of place, striking out just once and scoring each time he got on base. The 24-year-old was slashing .308/.424/.514 over 31 games with Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to his call-up Wednesday. He slots in as the backup to Will Smith at catcher, but Rushing can also push the struggling Michael Conforto for playing time in left field since Smith is likely to catch 4-to-5 games per week.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Behind plate for MLB debut
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Rushing is making his MLB debut Thursday night against the Athletics, starting at catcher and batting seventh.
With Will Smith getting to rest Thursday, Rushing will get his first major-league action. Rushing was called up Wednesday with Austin Barnes being designated for assignment. While Rushing will serve as the backup catcher, he may also find some time at first base or left field. The left-handed batter is set to get his first plate appearances against A's right-hander Osvaldo Bido.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Promotion made official
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The Dodgers selected Rushing's contract from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
With Austin Barnes having been designated for assignment in a corresponding move, Rushing will pick up some starts at catcher on days that Will Smith has off. However, most of his playing time could come in the outfield, where Michael Conforto has struggled and Teoscar Hernandez (groin) and Tommy Edman (ankle) are currently out of the mix. Rushing is also capable of playing first base, but at-bats will be hard to come by at the position with Freddie Freeman entrenched atop the depth chart. Rushing has slashed .308/.424/.514 with five home runs and a 29:21 K:BB over 132 plate appearances this season with Oklahoma City.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Poised for big-league promotion
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The Dodgers will call up Rushing from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Austin Barnes will be designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Rushing has torched Pacific Coast League pitching this season, slashing .308/.424/.514 with five home runs and a 29:21 K:BB over 132 plate appearances. He's made 16 starts at catcher, eight starts at first base and one start in left field this season. With Teoscar Hernandez (groin) and Tommy Edman (ankle) on the injured list and with Michael Conforto struggling, Rushing's best opportunity for playing time could come in the outfield. He will also see starts at catcher on off days for Will Smith.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Moves to minors camp
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The Dodgers reassigned Rushing to minor-league camp Tuesday.
Rushing has breezed his way through the Dodgers' minor-league system and had a real chance to open the year on the Opening Day roster after slashing .273/.396/.511 over 169 Triple-A plate appearances in 2024. Instead, the Dodgers will give him a few more looks in the minors to start 2025, but he could certainly break through into Los Angeles if he continues to dominate in Triple-A.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Set to be promoted to Triple-A
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The Dodgers will promote Rushing from Double-A Tulsa to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Monday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Rushing will make the leap to Triple-A after producing a .270 average with 17 home runs, 59 RBI and 44 runs scored over 324 plate appearances in 77 games with Tulsa this season. The 23-year-old operates mostly as a catcher, but he has gotten four starts in left field recently, opening up another avenue for playing time if the Dodgers call him up later on this season.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: Returns after injury
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Rushing (head) was back in action for High-A Great Lakes on Friday after missing time due to a head injury. He went 0-for-3 with a pair of walks and a run.
Rushing missed 10 days after getting hit on the head by a backswing in a game June 13. He was the Loons' designated hitter in his return and wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday, so the organization may be taking a cautious approach by easing the catching prospect back into action. Rushing has looked good in his first stint at the High-A level, slashing .260/.435/.494 with seven homers, 32 RBI. a stolen base and a 21.4 percent walk rate over 207 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Dalton Rushing: On-base machine for Loons
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Rushing has the highest OBP (.427) and highest wRC+ (169) of qualified Midwest League hitters who are 22 or younger.
Rushing is a little old to still be at High-A, and he has been putting up monster numbers for the Great Lakes Loons as a result. He has a .257/.427/.507 slash line with seven home runs, a 24.3 percent strikeout rate and a 20 percent walk rate. Rushing has made 21 starts at catcher, 11 starts at designated hitter and seven starts at first base, which is an accurate representation of how he is likely to be deployed in the majors in a year or two.
