A disappointing road trip for the Los Angeles Dodgers has been particularly challenging for Will Smith and Dalton Rushing.
Smith took a foul ball off his right hand on Wednesday and has yet to play since. An X-ray and CT scan both came back negative, but Smith is dealing with a bone bruise in his throwing hand.
The injury pushed Rushing into an everyday role for the time being, but he was removed from Friday’s game after fouling a pitch off his upper shin. Fortunately for Rushing and the Dodgers, an X-ray and CT scan also came back negative.
The results of that testing somewhat surprised Rushing but were a welcomed relief, per Ian Quillen of MLB.com:
“I didn’t really know what to expect, I’d never fouled a ball off my leg that high,” Rushing said on Saturday. “But yeah it was scary. I thought I could’ve broke a bone.”
Although Rushing avoided a fracture in his right leg, the Dodgers still put their former top prospect on the 10-day injured list with a right shin contusion. Chuckie Robinson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill the backup catcher role.
The Dodgers had already called up Ben Rortvedt from the Comets in the wake of anticipating Smith would miss the remainder of their road trip. Rortvedt replaced rushing in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles and also started Saturday’s game.
Dalton Rushing’s foul ball off leg
Rushing took a big swing when he fouled off the pitch that had a 103 mph exit velocity. He immediately dropped to the ground and writhed in pain while being tended to by Dodgers trainer Yosuke “Possum” Nakajima.
Manager Dave Roberts and Nakajima then helped carry Rushing off the field as he was unable to put any weight on his right leg.
Considering the force with which the ball hit off Rushing’s shin, it’s a surprise he managed to avoid a significant injury.
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