Dalton Rushing Says He ‘Will Be Ready’ if Dodgers Decide to Call Him Up This Season
Top prospect Dalton Rushing is eager to be called up by the Los Angeles Dodgers this season.
“If there’s an opportunity that arises, whether is Week 1 through the postseason or whatever it is, I’m going to be ready,” Rushing told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain. “That’s something I just want to make sure that they know from day one. They can call my name whenever it comes and know that I’ll go up there and get the job done. That’s my biggest goal is how can I press the envelope and force my own hand. That’s kind of what I’ve taken to the plate recently.”
Rushing currently plays for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, Oklahoma City. He received a promotion to the team in early August but has continued his hot streak at the plate.
“Ideally, the way I look at it is, you’re at this level to post numbers,” Rushing said. “This is, in my eyes a hitter’s friendly-league.”
It’s certainly a possibility that Rushing could make a late-season cameo for the Dodgers. Given the myriad of injuries in the Los Angeles clubhouse, Rushing’s major league debut may come sooner rather than later.
Rushing is slashing .283/.412/.500 for Oklahoma City, an impressive feat given the 23-year-old is facing a higher level of pitching.
Throughout the 26 games he’s played in Triple-A, Rushing has showcased his ability at the plate. He’s also made a position switch from catcher to outfielder.
The move was something Oklahoma City manager Travis Barbary believed would help propel him to the majors. When Rushing earned his promotion to Triple-A, he joined a club that already had three catchers on the roster in Hunter Feduccia, Chris Okey, and Diego Cartaya.
As a result of his play in Triple-A, he’s risen up to No. 27 overall on Baseball America’s top 100 prospect lists. In 2023, Rushing slashed .228/.404/.452 in High-A. He posted 15 home runs and 53 RBIs across 89 games last season.
Rushing is a valuable prospect within the Dodgers organization as evidenced by the team’s refusal to let him go in exchange for Garrett Crochet from the White Sox.
Several people speculated that Rushing could earn his big league promotion in the Sept. 1 lineup expansion; however, the Dodgers called up Michael Grove, Justin Wrobleski, and Andy Pages instead.
Photo Credit: BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK
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In 2025 perhaps he could take Will Smith’s place [who plays too many games] 2 days per week (against right-handed starting pitchers] and platoon in left field against right-handed starting pitchers another 2-3days, giving Teoscar some time off against right-handed starters [if he comes back]. He could also DH on the one day per week that Ohtani has complete rest. So he could get 4-6 games per week, if he hits well enough, at least better than Barnes. Tesocar’s splits are .955 [against left handers] v .771 [against right handers], so he is not that much better than league average for an outfielder against right handers. Can he learn to play 3B for 2026? How does he handle the running game as a catcher? How is his fielding in left-field? Why doesn’t the author tell us these things?
All very valid points and questions. Few if any writers here seem interested in actually drilling down and letting us know the answers to the real questions we need answers to. Way too many fluff pieces here IMO.