Dalton Rushing entered the year as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ consensus top prospect, and he has continued to show why with an excellent start to his 2024 season.
The former University of Louisville product hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fourth of the Tulsa Drillers’ 12-3 win over the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Monday. He finished the game 2-for-5 and tied a career high with five RBI.
Rushing was pleased to hit his first professional grand slam against a left-handed pitcher, via Kenny Van Doren of MLB.com:
“Honestly, it was the first lefty I’ve seen in the last few weeks,” Rushing said. “So it was more of, ‘What do I really handle over the plate? As a hitter, what gives me the best chance to damage?’ And that’s my job. … It for sure felt good. It came at a good time.”
Rushing has now homered in three of his last five games and has seven on the season. He’s hitting .258/.384/.500 with 14 extra-base hits and 25 RBI in 146 plate appearances over 35 games.
Rushing ranks first among Texas League catchers in home runs, RBI and on-base plus slugging (.884). He has split starts at the position this year with fellow top Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya.
Rushing enjoyed a breakout 2023 season with High-A Great Lakes that saw him hit .228/.404/.452 with 18 doubles, 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 89 games. Even with the jump to Double-A, he has maintained elite production while sporting an impressive 27-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
When will Dalton Rushing make Dodgers debut?
Given that he is only 23 and in his third professional season, Rushing likely won’t make his big league debut until 2025 at the earliest.
Some scouts have questioned whether Rushing will be able to stick at catcher, but his offensive potential should help him get plenty of playing time at the next level.
With Will Smith locked in as the Dodgers catcher of the future, Rushing could be a candidate to move to first base, or possibly third base or a corner outfield spot.
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