The Los Angeles Dodgers made a surprising but exciting roster move on Wednesday, when they called up top prospect Dalton Rushing and designated Austin Barnes for assignment.
Rushing has been performing well at Triple-A and had nothing left to prove in the Minor Leagues, but his path to a promotion was never entirely clear due to the Dodgers’ roster. The team has generally avoided calling up prospects to fill bench roles, and Rushing was blocked by Will Smith as the starting catcher.
Rushing got opportunities in the outfield last season to see if he could handle a corner spot, but that did not work out well and the Dodgers don’t view him as an option to play there. That means Rushing’s primary role is as the backup catcher, with a focus on learning.
“I see him probably catching two times a week, taking pinch-hit at-bats,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Rushing’s role. “And I think the thought was to get him more familiar with our pitchers, catch bullpens, and obviously take at-bats off the bench. But certainly getting starts.”
Although Rushing won’t get the chance to play every day, he’s still embracing the opportunity and wants to do what he can to contribute to the club.
“It’ll be different, but like I said, I’m the rookie,” Rushing said. “I’m the young guy. That’s my job. Essentially, if I show up here every day and play three days week, if I can still help the team win those other three or four days, that’s pretty special and pretty valuable for a team like this.”
He added: “Once again, you look at who I’m surrounded by, and it’s some of the best players to learn from. Me personally, I think I can take in information pretty well, so I think it’s going to be very beneficial regardless of how much playing time. That’s up to me to show up and help the team win.”
Having a strong backup catcher also allows the Dodgers to get more days off for Smith, which will hopefully help him get through the season better. Smith has seen his numbers decline in the second half the past few seasons.
“I think if you’ve seen how I’ve managed Will this year, it’s been a little bit on the conservative side,” Roberts said. “And I think that there is some part of it where I want to make sure I keep him fresh and wanting for more as the season goes on. And then I see some runway for a backup catcher.”
Rushing also gives the Dodgers a quality bat off the bench, but as their backup catcher, Roberts can’t use him in every situation and has to pick the right ones.
“I think I’m going to be aggressive,” Roberts said. “But ultimately with a lead, you still going to be mindful of not being naked without a backup catcher. So I think that I’m going to be mindful of the construct of how you manage a game, but I trust the bat, the at-bat quality.”
Dalton Rushing happy to make Dodgers roster as catcher
Along with seeing time in the outfield last year, Rushing has also played a bit of first base in the Minors. But as a backstop by trade, Rushing was happy to make it to the Majors at his natural position.
“Yeah, absolutely. It’s a boost of confidence, for sure,” Rushing said. “It shows you that they believe in your skill. I think that’s pretty special coming from an organization that has a guy like Will behind the plate every day.
“Obviously, Will had a starting point, and they believed in Will in 2019. Kind of thinking the same way here. I said it in Spring Training, it’s my job to show up here and one, help the team win. But two, make his job as easy as possible. He’s going to make my job easy, but there’s a helping hand I can give to make his job easy as well.”
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