Dalton Rushing’s road back to the Dodgers is starting to look a lot shorter than it did a few weeks ago.
Recovering from a partial UCL tear, Rushing had not been viewed as someone in danger of missing the postseason entirely. The early expectation was more modest: maybe a bat off the bench late in the year. But the latest update points to a much better outcome, with Rushing sounding like he could be back behind the plate by September.
Speaking with the team at Dodgers Beat, Rushing said he could return to catching as soon as September and added that he expects to resume throwing in the near future.
That matters because catching is the real hinge point here. The bat has been there all season - Rushing has posted a 123 wRC+ across 245 plate appearances - but if he can’t handle the defensive side, the Dodgers have a tougher roster decision to make.
Los Angeles is already working through its catcher picture as the regular season enters its final stretch. Will Smith has made progress in his recovery from a neck injury, and if this weekend’s workouts go well, he could start a minor-league rehab assignment next week.
Smith has not played since June 5, so a longer rehab stint would not be a surprise. Even so, the expectation remains that he’ll be back as the Dodgers’ catcher before October.
That leaves Rushing as one of the more interesting postseason questions on the roster. If he can catch, he becomes much easier to carry. If he can’t, there’s a strong case against using a roster spot on him, especially with the Dodgers’ bench flexibility at a premium.
Three catchers is a tricky fit, particularly once the postseason moves past a potential Wild Card Series. Rushing also isn’t going to take designated hitter at-bats away from Shohei Ohtani, which narrows the path even more. The Dodgers could probably get away with that arrangement in a short series, but over a longer run it starts to look like a luxury.
With Smith and Rushing both unavailable, the Dodgers moved quickly at the trade deadline to shore up the position. They brought back Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt before the August 3 deadline.
For now, Feduccia has stepped in as the primary catcher, and both he and Rortvedt have value because they know the pitching staff. Still, the Dodgers would much rather have the position settled by the time October arrives - ideally with neither of them needed on the postseason roster.
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