Dalton Rushing and the Dodgers have reason to breathe a little easier.
What first looked like a potentially season-ending elbow injury may not turn out that way after all, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Rushing has a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his catcher’s throwing elbow, but he told Ardaya that doctors are not currently worried about structural damage and do not expect surgery to be necessary.
That is a far better outcome than the one the Dodgers initially feared. Rushing felt discomfort while warming up before an August 2 game against the Boston Red Sox, and the team now plans to concentrate his rehab on the muscles around the elbow rather than rushing him toward a procedure.
Rushing also said the slight UCL tear was not entirely new territory. There was already some history there, and the organization had known about it before more recent scans added to the concern.
He caught up with @kirsten_watson ahead of tonight's matchup vs. Kansas City to discuss the rehab process. pic.twitter.com/HeuQjRtSWr
- SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) August 12, 2026
Still, this is not a clean bill of health, and it does not mean Rushing is anywhere near a return behind the plate. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts previously said the odds of Rushing catching again this season were “very small."
The next real checkpoint comes after Rushing spends four to six weeks not throwing and then gets additional imaging. Until then, the Dodgers are operating with a lot of uncertainty. Even so, “very small” leaves the door open just enough to matter.
There is also a chance Rushing could help the club with his bat later in the year, even if catching again in 2026 is off the table. He has put together an .809 OPS in 245 plate appearances, making him one of the more productive offensive catchers in baseball during his first full major league season.
That matters for a Dodgers team that Roberts has already acknowledged is awkwardly built and in need of another left-handed bat. Getting Rushing into the lineup without using him at catcher would not be simple, especially with Shohei Ohtani locked into the full-time designated hitter spot. But if Rushing is healthy enough to hit, Los Angeles would have a real incentive to figure it out.
The Dodgers have already added insurance at the position by acquiring Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia after Rushing went on the injured list, while Will Smith is still working his way back from a neck injury.
So the catching picture in Los Angeles is still unsettled. But the nightmare scenario - major elbow surgery and an immediate end to Rushing’s season - no longer looks like the most likely outcome. After the way this injury first sounded, that counts as real progress.
In Other News...
Dodgers Injury Update Brings Hope For Two Key Depth Pieces
Blake Snell is back on the active roster after the Dodgers activated him from the 60-day injured list, a welcome development for a club still juggling a long list of health questions. The bigger picture around the roster remains unsettled, but there is at least a little more optimism on the horizon with Will Smith and Tyler Glasnow both potentially due back later this month or in early September.
Elsewhere in the system, the injury news is less clear but still not entirely bleak. Will Klein is working his way back from right elbow discomfort, and Dalton Rushing has also shown some progress as the Dodgers try to piece together depth during a stretch when the pitching staff and the rest of the roster have taken plenty of hits. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Catching Depth Suddenly Feels Crowded After Quiet Roster Move
A quiet transaction in the Dodgers system turned into a small reminder of just how crowded the catching picture can get. Tulsa moved Hayden Gilliland to the development list on July 28, and even with solid offensive production in the mix, the organization had enough depth at the position that his path kept narrowing as the summer went on.
By early August, the Dodgers had released Gilliland from his minor league contract, a move that fit the broader reality around the system. The return of Nelson Quiroz and the presence of other catchers in the organization left little room to maneuver, especially with the big club already having dealt with injuries behind the plate and added Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt before the trade deadline. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Make A Lineup Change Teoscar Hernandez Fans Will Notice
The Dodgers are making another tweak to a lineup that has already had to absorb some offensive inconsistency, and Teoscar Hernandez is at the center of it. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed the club will scale back Hernandezs starts against right-handed pitching, while still keeping him in the mix when lefties are on the mound. It is the kind of adjustment that says more about the day-to-day search for the right combination than any larger panic, especially for a team that still sits near the top of the league in team batting numbers.
Freddie Freeman is also part of the shuffle, with Roberts moving him into the second spot against right-handers. For the Dodgers, that gives the order a different look without changing the basic idea behind it, but it also underscores how carefully they are trying to manage the bottom line of production as they sort through a few uneven stretches at the plate. Hernandezs role in particular will be one to watch, since the team is clearly trying to get more out of matchups without fully taking him out of the picture. [Read more 🡒]