Dalton Rushing

The Dodgers expect that it’ll be about nine months before Rushing is ready to return as a catcher, putting him in play for the second half of next season. He’ll be able to hit well before that, but unless something goes wrong for Shohei Ohtani, it seems unlikely that the Dodgers will bring him back as a bench bat before he’s ready to catch.

Avoiding the full Tommy John would likely allow Rushing to resume hitting in spring training and catching during the first half of the season. The Dodgers can plug in Hunter Feduccia as Will Smith’s backup while Rushing rehabs, but they might want to try to do better.

As anticipated, Rushing rejoins the Dodgers for the final weekend of the regular season. He’s still unable to throw without pain and will be limited to designated hitter duty and pinch hitting, which may not be enough to earn him a spot on the Dodgers’ roster to open the postseason. Alex Freeland was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move on Friday.

The 25-year-old isn’t expected to catch again this season, but he will be able to function as a bench bat for the Dodgers over the final weekend of the regular season and into the playoffs. Rushing has been shelved since September 5 due to discomfort in his throwing elbow.

Rushing’s elbow responded badly to a throwing session Saturday, and the Dodgers aren’t going to let him push it again. He still might return as a bench bat before the end of the season.

Rushing had a setback with the elbow while throwing prior to Saturday’s game. Eliezer Alfonzo was called up to replace hm, but Hunter Feduccia figures to continue to serve as the primary backup to Will Smith.

Rushing was scratched from the team’s starting lineup on Saturday after experiencing soreness in his elbow while ramping up his throwing program before the game. He went for imaging after the game and depending on what that shows, a trip to the injured list could be in store.

Rushing was ramping up his throwing program on the field before the game and felt a bit sore, so the Dodgers opted to give him the night off rather than have him serve as the designated hitter. Alex Call replaced him in the lineup and will start in left field while Teoscar Hernandez functions as the designated hitter.

Rushing’s sudden return after a month-long absence due to a UCL tear is quite a surprise. He didn’t play in any rehab games, and since his elbow remains an issue, it’s unclear if he’ll be doing any catching this month. One imagines he’ll primary be a left-handed pinch-hitter for now.

The fact that Rushing has progressed enough to be facing live pitching likely means that a rehab assignment is on the horizon for some point next week. The Dodgers have been patchworking their catching situation while Rushing and Will Smith have been sidelined.

Rushing added that he doesn’t have a return timetable yet, but has already progressed to swinging a bat, and is optimistic he’ll be able to resume catching before the end of the season. The 25-year-old former top prospect was diagnosed with a UCL tear in his throwing elbow earlier this month. His return would help shore up Los Angeles’ catching situation heading into the postseason.

This helps explain why the Dodgers went out and acquired both Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt at the trade deadline to fortify their catching situation until Will Smith (neck) is back from the injured list. The hope is that Rushing can avoid season-ending surgery, but he’s probably going to be limited to hitting-only, if that’s the route they choose. He’ll be shut down completely for a couple weeks before the Dodgers determine his next steps.

No surprise after Rushing was scratched from Sunday’s series finale against the Red Sox. It certainly explains why the Dodgers went out and acquired both Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia at the trade deadline. They’ll need to cobble things together behind the plate until Will Smith (neck) is ready to return in a couple weeks.

Technically, there are games happening shortly after Monday’s trade deadline. The Dodgers picked up backup catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Mets in a small deal, which seems to signal that Rushing could be headed to the injured list. The 25-year-old was scratched from Sunday’s series finale against the Red Sox with a minor arm issue. There should be some clarity on his status in the coming days.

The Dodgers are calling the issue “minor,” but it’s significant enough for him to be out of the lineup. Consider Rushing day-to-day, and Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. will instead handle backstop duties for Sunday’s contest.

Rushing entered hitless in 25 plate appearances since July 7, but he crushed the ball tonight; coming in at 108 mph on his homer, 102 mph on the double and 101 mph on a lineout to third. He has 11 homers, 11 doubles and 33 RBI in 222 plate appearances on the season.

He was also only involved in one near-brawl, so that’s progress. It wasn’t really his fault anyway; Cole Carrigg slid into him at home plate and did a face plant afterwards, but that was mostly because his hand got caught on the leg of home plate umpire Dan Iassogna, who was caught being too close to the plate. The dugouts started to empty when it looked like the two players were going to come together, but cooler heads quickly prevailed. Rushing’s doubles came off Kyle Freeland early in the game, and the second would have been a homer in 22 ballparks, according to Statcast. The game-winner was a 74-mph grounder against a drawn-in infield that just squibbed past Edouard Julien at second base. It was Rushing’s 30th RBI, and it made the Dodgers the first team to 60 wins this season.

It’s his third career game with four hits and second with four RBI. Rushing’s five balls in play tonight ranged in exit velocity from 99.2 mph to 108.7 mph. He raised his average 19 points to .263, his OPS 51 points to .843 and his hard-hit rate from 41 percent to 44 percent.

Rushing returns to Los Angeles lineup after passing concussion protocol. There was some initial concern when he took a foul tip off his mask during Monday’s series opener, but he checked out fine after undergoing precautionary testing. It’s a significant relief for the Dodgers since they’re without primary backstop Will Smith (neck) for at least another week or two. Rushing’s return sends Chuckie Robinson back to the bench after filling in admirably the last two days.

Rushing remains in concussion protocol after taking a foul tip off the mask during the early stages of Monday’s series opener in Minnesota. It’ll be Chuckie Robinson handling the catching duties in his absence. The 25-year-old backstop passed initial concussion tests, but the Dodgers aren’t going to take any chances. There should be some clarity on his status prior to Wednesday’s series finale.