Ben Rortvedt is back on the market, and that could push the Dodgers toward a much bigger decision with Dalton Rushing.
Rortvedt elected free agency on Saturday, closing out yet another stop in a Dodgers organization he has now left and re-entered multiple times over the past two years. His path has been a carousel: the Dodgers designated him for assignment last November, the Cincinnati Reds claimed him, then DFA’d him in February. Los Angeles brought him back, only to move on from him five days later.
He spent a bit of time in the New York Mets’ organization before the Dodgers traded for him again on August 3, right after Rushing landed on the IL. That reunion didn’t last long either. Rortvedt was designated for assignment for the fourth time this calendar year a month later, cleared waivers, and finished the season outright at Oklahoma City.
That kind of back-and-forth makes it easy to see a path where the Dodgers simply bring him back on a minor league deal. They already have Eliezer Alfonzo and Hunter Feduccia in the system, both with minor league options, but Rortvedt remains a familiar depth piece they’ve had trouble completely letting go of.
And if they do re-sign him, that could be more than just a catching depth move. It could be the setup for the Dodgers to finally move on from Dalton Rushing.
The Dodgers have long tried to squeeze at-bats for Rushing while he sat behind Will Smith, but the end of the season told a different story. The clearest sign came when they left him off both postseason rosters, choosing Feduccia and Josue De Paula instead. De Paula, with just 31 at-bats, apparently did enough to win the club over as a pinch-hit option.
If Rortvedt comes back, Los Angeles could keep him and Alfonzo in Triple-A while handing the backup job to Feduccia, who delivered productive at-bats for the Dodgers after returning from the Tampa Bay Rays. That kind of setup would also make Rushing easier to shop, and probably at a strong price. The argument would be simple: outside of Los Angeles, he profiles as a starting catcher.
The Dodgers may not need prospects in the traditional sense, but turning Rushing into trade value would still fit the way they operate. It would deepen the pipeline and add another piece of ammunition for a future blockbuster move.
For all the talk and all the promises, the Dodgers have never found a clean way to fit Rushing onto the roster. If he couldn’t even crack an NLDS roster, the question is hard to ignore. Re-signing Rortvedt would be the first move, but it might also be the signal that Los Angeles should go even further with Rushing.
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