The Los Angeles Dodgers lost Dalton Rushing to the injured list, leaving the team with organizational depth at the catcher spot rather than a bona fide starter.
Luckily, the Dodgers were doing their due diligence in case Rushing went down with an injury, or Will Smith suffered another major setback.
With Will Smith and Dalton Rushing both on the injured list, the Dodgers sprang to action, making deals for Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt.
Rather than shop at the high-end of the catcher market, LA brought in two players who are familiar with their pitching staff.
The Dodgers ended up calling up Chuckie Robinson as the emergency catcher on Monday for the team’s 10-5 loss, where Elizer Alonfozo got the start.
“The biggest thing was to make sure we felt like we had coverage with both Will and Rush out,” Gomes said.
“With (Feduccia) and (Rortvedt), both guys have had familiarity with our staff. It was really important to kind of come in and fit right into the clubhouse and know that our guys have thrown to them, or most of them have thrown to them in the past. So it was a really good fit.”
What is the latest on Dalton Rushing?
According to Katie Woo of The Athletic, the Dodgers are planning for Rushing to miss little time.
He is dealing with arm irritation caused by a right elbow strain, as an MRI showed, which developed out of normal wear rather than a specific incident.
“There was no one incident,” Roberts said. “Dalton said that he’s had bouts of this in the past. So that’s, I guess, a good thing that he’s dealt with it. But I don’t think anyone knows how long it’s going to be.”
Considering how good Rushing has been, it will be a loss, especially with Will Smith out of the lineup as well.
Rortvedt and Feduccia are both catchers known for their work with pitchers rather than hitting, but they will get a chance to vie for playing time.
Initially, Rortvedt will get the bulk of the work, but the Dodgers will certainly ride the hot hand as they wait for one of their two catchers to get back.
