Dalton Rushing, who was hitting .253 with 12 home runs for the Dodgers in 74 games this season, has a partial tear in the UCL in his right elbow, a brutal blow for the NL West club after their 5-1 loss to the Cubs last night. This wasn’t just the “mild elbow strain” he was sidelined for on Monday; ESPN is now reporting the severity is far greater, completely changing the outlook for the young catcher.
The Brutal Reality for Rushing
This partial UCL tear is a devastating twist after Rushing was initially placed on the injured list with what sounded like a much less serious mild elbow strain. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed on Tuesday night that Rushing won’t be throwing for several weeks. The big hope right now is that he can avoid surgery, which would obviously be a game-changer for his season. Rushing has been putting up solid numbers, too, with a .335 on-base percentage, .475 slugging, and a .809 OPS across 245 trips to the plate. Losing that kind of production and potential behind the dish is a massive hit.
Dodgers’ Catching Depth Gets Tested, Hard
With Rushing now out indefinitely and facing a much longer recovery, the Dodgers are left with two catchers they acquired just before the trade deadline. They grabbed Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets and Hunter Feduccia from the Tampa Bay Rays to beef up their depth. Rortvedt got the start on Tuesday, catching Tarik Skubal’s first game in Dodger blue after that blockbuster trade from the Detroit Tigers. The bad news doesn’t stop there, either: veteran Will Smith has been sidelined since early June with an inflamed disk in his neck and is still over a month away from returning to the field. Talk about a brutal gauntlet for the catching position.
This injury creates an immediate challenge for the Dodgers’ front office and coaching staff. They’re going to rely heavily on Rortvedt and Feduccia to navigate the season while hoping Rushing’s elbow heals without needing surgery. It’s a tough hand to be dealt, and everyone will be watching to see how they handle it moving forward.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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