Rushing was the top prospect in the Dodgers’ system when he came to the big leagues last year. But now he finds himself slotted into a backup role behind Will Smith.
The Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing connects for a run-scoring single against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning of a spring training baseball game Monday, March 9, 2026, in Phoenix. If Rushing had risen to be the top prospect in almost any other organization, he would probably have a wide open path to big-league playing time in front of him.
But Rushing was drafted by the Dodgers in 2022 and his career path is blocked by one of the best catchers in baseball, Will Smith, a fact cemented by the 10-year contract extension signed by Smith in March 2024. “Yeah. It’s hard. It’s mentally harder than it is physically,” Rushing acknowledged this spring. “It makes you question at first – ‘Okay, where do I lie in this game?’ “But for me personally, I sit here next to one of the best catchers in baseball. To be able to watch him do his work, to be able to stack myself up against him, to know what abilities each of us have – alright, essentially I can do what he’s doing, maybe a different style of game play. But if I can stack myself up against the best catcher in the league, I’m going to be in a good place.” Smith endured his own apprenticeship in 2018, before he even made his big-league debut. The Dodgers had Smith travel with the team and shadow their catchers at the time through the final month of the regular season and during a postseason run that ended in Other top prospects in the Dodgers’ organization have found their footing in the big leagues only after leaving – Michael Busch with the Chicago Cubs, Miguel Vargas with the crosstown Chicago White Sox. But Rushing said he does not spend his off hours dreaming of a trade that will take him to another team where his role would be expanded. “I don’t buy into it,” Rushing said. “I think it’s a hard life to live. You start to buy into that stuff, you start to question yourself and whether you’re good enough to stay in this organization, whether you’re good enough to start in another organization. “Essentially, I know I can play for 29 – I can play for any other team that’s not based out of the city of Los Angeles. I know that. Now the challenge for myself is how do I push all my chips to the middle and show them you’ve got to put this guy on the field, however you can. I think to me, that’s a bigger statement not only to myself for my career but to the league and everyone watching. ‘Alright if this guy can step into a veteran-based clubhouse, a veteran-based lineup and show he can produce that’s pretty valuable.’ Not only do you firstly do the things you want in your career by challenging yourself with that but you also help the team win. You help the best team in baseball win baseball games. “There’s no place else I’d rather be. Take my situation out of it, take my role out of it. There’s no other team in baseball I’d rather play for. I want to stack myself up against the best and that’s exactly what you get to do here. Every single day.” Rushing was a .298 hitter with an OPS over 1.000 in three seasons at Louisville before the Dodgers drafted him 40th overall in 2022. In four minor-league seasons, he hit .278 with a .933 OPS. Then he got called up by the Dodgers in mid-May last year and was told to learn the game while backing up Smith. Rushing’s game suffered with the sporadic playing time of a backup catcher. He hit just .204 with a .582 OPS and 58 strikeouts in 142 at-bats scattered over 53 games . Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he thought Rushing was “overly aggressive last year,” trying to make more out of each of his limited at-bats. “Things sped up on him,” Roberts said. But what he was trying to do – continue to develop as a big-leaguer while spending most of his time on the bench – was challenging. “It’s not easy. It’s hard,” Roberts said. “You have to simplify things. I think that – not necessarily lower expectations, but understand what are wins and what are not wins. Because … players are designed to look at production, but when you’re not playing every day as a young player who could always use the repetitions, production isn’t always just getting hits. “Ideally, we’d love for him to get 500 at-bats this year, to continue to evolve and catch innings. But looking at the depth chart, I think you still choose to be a major league player.” There is no path to 500 at-bats for Rushing that does not include a major injury to Smith – something neither he nor the Dodgers wants. Rushing played some first base and left field in the minors, but “outfield is not on the table” this year, according to Roberts. And any first base playing time would likely require persuading Freddie Freeman to take a day off – not an easy task.Roberts said he had conversations with Rushing last season about understanding his role and what is required of him as a backup catcher. Heading into his second year, Rushing is “in a good spot right now,” Roberts said. “I want him to understand his role as a backup catcher. What that entails,” Roberts said. “Really learn the pitchers, learn a swing that works for playing a couple times a week. He’s used to playing a lot more. But I think that just kind of still maturing – because it’s not easy to not play every day when you’re used to that. But again, I think that he grew last year, and I like where he’s at right now.” For his part, Rushing said he hopes he showed the Dodgers’ decision-makers that he can be trusted in “big moments.” “But in order for us to get the most out of those big moments, we’ve got to play him,” Rushing said. “I think they got a good understanding of that last year. I look forward to being able to play a bigger role this year. Obviously, whatever the role is, whatever they ask me to do, I’m going to do it – anything to be in this clubhouse, to be with this team, play for this city and just win in a Dodger uniform. That’s special.”Judge disqualifies trio of lawyers tapped to lead New Jersey’s federal prosecutor’s officeNorthridge man, 23, faces possible DUI charge in Porter Ranch crash that killed passenger, 22Shooting at Rihanna’s LA home leads to attempted murder charge for Florida womanCarvalho asserts innocence, urges LAUSD to put him back to work
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