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Tobias Myers, Ben Casparius Added To NLCS Rosters

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The Brewers and Dodgers kick off the National League Championship Series in less than an hour. Each team made one change to the rosters from their respective Division Series.

Milwaukee made a move in the bullpen, swapping out Nick Mears for Tobias Myers. General manager Matt Arnold told reporters the decision was mostly about adding length to the pitching staff (link via MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy). Mears has only once completed two innings in a game this season. All but five of his 63 appearances have been a single inning or less. Myers has been a starter for much of his career and was working a handful of 2-3 inning stints in long relief down the stretch. The Brewers will lean heavily on their relievers, especially in games not started by Freddy Peralta, and have Aaron Ashby kicking off a bullpen game tonight.

Still, it comes as a moderate surprise that the hard-throwing Mears gets left off the roster entirely. Over the course of the season, only Trevor Megill entered the game in higher-leverage spots on average for skipper Pat Murphy. Mears was third on the team with 16 holds. He’d also pitched three times in the five-game Division Series win over the Cubs, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless frames while striking out three of seven batters faced. Mears missed a couple weeks in September with back tightness, but Arnold suggested the decision was less a health question and more about the need for multi-inning arms in a seven-game set.

The Dodgers also made a change, adding a 12th pure pitcher after carrying 11 pitchers (not including Shohei Ohtani) and 15 position players for their series against the Phillies. Right-hander Ben Casparius draws in while the team subs out third catcher Dalton Rushing. That’s most notable as a positive sign for Will Smith. The Dodgers were apprehensive about having Smith catch early in the Philly series. The star backstop came off the bench as a pinch-hitter for the first two games as he plays through a finger fracture.

Smith caught the last two games in full and apparently showed enough that the Dodgers no longer feel they need to keep Rushing active behind Smith and Ben Rortvedt. The 24-year-old Rushing struck out in a pinch-hit at-bat in his only appearance during the Division Series. Casparius adds a mop-up option to the bullpen after pitching to a 4.64 earned run average across 77 2/3 innings during the regular season. He pitched very well for the first two months but posted a 6.31 ERA in 27 appearances after June 1.

The full rosters break down as follows:

Brewers

Catchers: William Contreras, Danny Jansen

Infielders: Jake Bauers, Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, Andrew Vaughn

Outfielders: Jackson Chourio, Isaac Collins, Sal Frelick, Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins, Christian Yelich

Right-Handers: Grant Anderson, Trevor Megill, Jacob Misiorowski, Tobias Myers, Chad Patrick, Freddy Peralta (Game 2 starter), Quinn Priester, Abner Uribe

Left-Handers: Aaron Ashby (Game 1 opener), Robert Gasser, Jared Koenig, José Quintana

Dodgers

Catchers: Ben Rortvedt, Will Smith

Infielders: Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, Freddie Freeman, Hyeseong Kim, Max Muncy, Miguel Rojas

Outfielders: Alex Call, Justin Dean, Kiké Hernández, Teoscar Hernández, Andy Pages

Two-Way Player: Shohei Ohtani

Right-Handers: Ben Casparius, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Treinen, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (Game 2 starter)

Left-Handers: Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell (Game 1 starter), Alex Vesia, Justin Wrobleski

Will Smith Suffering From Hairline Fracture In Hand

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic) today that catcher Will Smith had undergone additional scans following his placement on the injured list last week, and that testing revealed a hairline fracture in Smith’s injured hand. The news makes it “doubtful,” in Roberts’s words, that he’ll play again during the regular season this year. More concerning is that whether or not Smith will be available for the start of the playoffs remains “up in the air.” 

Smith, who made his third All-Star game earlier this year, enjoyed a career season with the Dodgers this year as he hit .296/404/.497 with a 152 wRC+ in 110 games. He swatted 17 homers and paired a decent 20.4% strikeout rate with an elite 14.7% walk rate to emerge as one of the league’s top on-base threats, and between his impressive offense and solid defense behind the plate put together 4.1 fWAR in just 436 trips to the plate.

Arguably the best right-handed hitter in the Dodgers’ lineup this year thanks to Mookie Betts’s tough first half this year, losing Smith for any part of the postseason would be a crushing blow for the Dodgers. Since his first full 162-game season in 2021, Smith has averaged 126 games played a year and is a fixture of the L.A. lineup with more innings caught over the past five years than anyone other than J.T. Realmuto. Smith’s combination of durability and excellence allowed the Dodgers to not worry much about the quality of their catching depth this year, so much so that they even designated longtime backup Austin Barnes for assignment back in May to make room on the roster for unproven youngster Dalton Rushing.

Rushing has not taken to the big leagues in his part-time role, and has slashed just .184/.246/.288 with a wRC+ of 49 and a 39.1% strikeout rate across 47 games in the majors. Rushing’s combination of lackluster offense and unimpressive defense behind the plate have seemingly left the Dodgers without much confidence in his ability to handle the jump from little-used backup to potential playoff starter, and as a result of that Roberts indicated today that Ben Rortvedt instead be tasked with serving as the Dodgers’ primary catcher while Smith is out of commission.

Just five days shy from his 28th birthday, Rortvedt turned in a respectable enough season with the Rays last year but this year has hit just .165/.250/.196 in 39 games between L.A. and Tampa. It’s a performance that offers virtually no reason for optimism about his ability to contribute offensively, but Rortvedt is a very well-regarded game caller who gets solid marks from advanced metrics for his glove behind the plate. That solid defense should help create a higher floor than Rushing could provide for a Dodgers team that will need to rely on a bullpen that has looked shaky in recent weeks to preserve any leads passed to them by an elite starting rotation. With that said, it would of course be preferable if Smith’s bat could take some pressure off Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman to carry the offense headed into the playoffs.

Dodgers Place Dalton Rushing On 10-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers placed catcher Dalton Rushing on the 10-day injured list this evening due to a right shin contusion, per a team announcement. Rushing’s spot on the active roster will go to catcher Chuckie Robinson, who the Dodgers have selected from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Robinson will take the 40-man roster spot of right-hander Matt Sauer, who was designated for assignment.

Rushing, 24, appeared likely to get some runway behind the plate with L.A. while Will Smith is out of commission due to a bone bruise in his throwing hand. After Rushing fouled a ball of his leg earlier this week, he too found himself sidelined. Rushing told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times) earlier today that a CT scan revealed that he had avoided a fracture in his shin, but is still suffering from a deep bone bruise. While Smith’s bone bruise is something the club has felt they could avoid placing him on the IL over, that did not end up being the case for Rushing, who will now head to the IL for at least the next ten days. Depending on the severity of the bruise, he could of course be sidelined for much longer than that.

While losing Rushing from the roster would be unfortunate, it’s not the massive blow that losing a top prospect might normally be expected to be. The 2022 second-rounder hasn’t hit much in his first taste of the majors this year, with a lackluster .190/.254/.298 (54 wRC+) slash line across 45 games. That poor performance has come with a massive 38.8% strikeout rate, though it of course must be acknowledged that taking to the majors is easier said than done for any rookie, much less one stepping into a backup catcher role that has afforded Rushing only 134 plate appearances across his first three-and-a-half months in the majors.

Regardless of Rushing’s results, however, the injury only serves to compound the issues L.A. is facing behind the plate with Smith not presently available. Ben Rortvedt was called up to serve as a third catcher on the roster while Smith is unavailable, and he’ll now step into regular catching duties for the short-term, with Robinson now poised to be his backup. Rortvedt’s .092/181/.108 slash line in the majors between the Rays and Dodgers this year is nothing to write home about, but he was a passable (87 wRC+) hitter while working behind the plate for the Rays last year thanks to a solid 10.7% walk rate. That’s more success than Robinson has had in the majors, offensively speaking. Robinson has 51 games in the big leagues to his name and in that time has hit just .132/.170/.194 with a career wRC+ of -3, meaning he’s 103% worse than a league average hitter.

Now in his age-30 season, Robinson’s value comes entirely from his ability as a quality defender behind the plate, and with Rortvedt’s own strong resume in that regard the Dodgers should have a solid defensive tandem at catcher even if the duo won’t offer much of anything in terms of offense. L.A.’s bats have been slumping, and their 193 runs scored is a bottom-ten figure since the All-Star break. Smith’s 154 wRC+ exiting the lineup for the time being is the most significant loss, of course, but downgrading from Rushing’s below-average numbers to the pitcher-level offensive production offered by Rortvedt and Robinson surely won’t help matters either. It’s hard to say for sure which of Robinson and Rortvedt will stick around on the roster once Smith is fully healthy and can resume primary catching duties, and perhaps if one or the other shows signs offensively over the next few days that could be a deciding factor.

As for Sauer, the right-hander made his big league debut with the Royals last year but struggled to a 7.71 ERA in 14 appearances. Now with the Dodgers, he’s pitched 29 2/3 innings of work in ten games at the big league level but has struggled to a 6.32 ERA in that time despite solid enough peripheral numbers, including a 4.24 xFIP and a 4.02 SIERA. He’ll now be available on waivers to be claimed by another club, and if he goes unclaimed the Dodgers will have the opportunity to outright him to Triple-A as non-roster depth.

Dodgers Notes: Glasnow, Smith, Rushing

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Tyler Glasnow was initially supposed to start for the Dodgers in tonight’s series opener in Baltimore. Los Angeles instead pushed Shohei Ohtani up from his scheduled start on Monday. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that came about after Glasnow reported back stiffness this afternoon (link via Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register).

Roberts framed it as a precautionary measure and suggested they’re hopeful the righty can take the ball in a few days. That’d line him up for a home start against the Rockies early next week. The Dodgers will stick with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Clayton Kershaw for the final two games of the Orioles series. Swapping Glasnow into what would’ve been Ohtani’s spot on Monday would be the simplest solution if the back issue subsides.

Glasnow missed a couple months in the first half with shoulder inflammation. He has been healthy since his activation on July 9. He has worked to a 3.41 ERA while striking out 29% of opponents across 14 starts. He had a minimal injured list stint related to back tightness last season, though that came around the All-Star Break and allowed the Dodgers to keep his innings in check.

The Dodgers have a more pressing injury situation behind the plate. Will Smith has missed the past two games after taking a foul ball off his throwing hand on Wednesday. Roberts said before tonight’s game that he’s dealing with a bone bruise that he’ll need to manage for the remainder of the season (via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). The Dodgers hope Smith can avoid the injured list but don’t expect him to play this weekend.

That already spurred one roster move. The Dodgers selected Ben Rortvedt yesterday to get a third catcher on the active roster. Rortvedt was to back up Dalton Rushing as long as Smith was unable to play. Rortvedt will temporarily occupy the top spot on the depth chart now. Rushing was forced out of tonight’s game after fouling a ball off his right leg in the sixth inning. He needed to be helped off the field. The Dodgers announced the injury as a right lower leg contusion.

Initial x-rays came back negative. That doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods for a serious injury. Roberts said Rushing will go for a CT scan (relayed by Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times). He may need an injured list stint and has already been ruled out for tomorrow’s game. That’ll force the Dodgers to make another move to bring up a catcher who can work behind Rortvedt.

That’s probably going to be Chuckie Robinson, a May waiver claim who was outrighted off the roster a few days later. The only other catcher on the Triple-A active roster, 21-year-old Carlos Avila, has 12 games above rookie ball and was just assigned there yesterday to replace Rortvedt. Robinson has not played in the big leagues this year but has 51 games of MLB experience. He’s a career .132/.170/.194 hitter who has a .264/.349/.368 line with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Smith’s injury already cost Alexis Díaz his 40-man roster spot; he was designated for assignment to make room for Rortvedt. They’ll need to drop someone else from the roster tomorrow, assuming they’re still hopeful of getting Brock Stewart back and don’t want to move him to the 60-day injured list.

Dodgers To Select Ben Rortvedt

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The Dodgers are going to select catcher Ben Rortvedt to their roster, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. That’s to give the club another catcher for the next few days as it’s unlikely Will Smith will play this weekend. Ardaya noted earlier that Dalton Rushing will start tonight, so Rortvedt will presumably back him up while Smith rests. Corresponding moves will be required to add Rortvedt to the active and 40-man rosters.

The issue stems from last night, when Smith was struck by a foul ball on his throwing hand, as seen in this video from MLB.com. Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Smith is getting a CT scan today which will determine if he needs to go on the injured list. Even if he avoids the IL, he’s going to miss a few days. The Dodgers naturally don’t want to play with Rushing as their only catcher, so they are adding Rortvedt to give them a bit of cover.

Losing Smith for any amount of time is a blow. He has a .296/.405/.497 batting line and 153 wRC+ this year. His glovework isn’t particularly well regarded but he has nonetheless been credited with 4.1 wins above replacement this year by FanGraphs. Naturally, the Dodgers will be hoping he can be back after a few days. At this time of year, anything longer than a day-to-day issue runs the risk of pushing through the end of the regular season.

Rushing will try to make up some of the slack. He has only hit .190/.256/.293 in his first 129 big league plate appearances but in sporadic playing time while backing up Smith. He has far better minor league numbers and it’s possible he could get into a better groove with more reps. Though if Smith is back in a few days, that may be a moot point.

Rortvedt, 27, seemed to establish himself as a legit big league catcher with the Rays last year. He got into 112 games and slashed .228/.317/.303 in 328 plate appearances. His 87 wRC+ indicates he was 13% below the league average hitter, but backstops are usually about 10% below par, so that’s decent enough for a backup. Given his solid defensive grades, he was credited with 1.4 fWAR last year.

Unfortunately, he didn’t carry that over into 2025. Through late May, he had a .095/.186/.111 slash line. He was designated for assignment and no club claimed him off waivers. A couple of months later, the Dodgers picked up him as part of a three-team trade with the Rays and Reds. The Dodgers subtracted some catching depth in that deal by sending Hunter Feduccia to Tampa but got back prospect Adam Serwinowski and reliever Paul Gervase.

Rortvedt effectively replaced Feduccia as the Dodgers’ #3 catcher. He hasn’t been having a good season in the minors either, with a combined .205/.299/.333 line and 66 wRC+ between the Triple-A clubs of the Rays and Dodgers, but he’s a competent defender who’s been in the big leagues for a few years. If the Dodgers want to cut him from the roster later, he is out of options.

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Roberts: “Don’t See A World” In Which Dodgers Trade Dalton Rushing

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts strongly downplayed the idea that the team would move rookie catcher Dalton Rushing before Thursday’s deadline. MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported last week that the Red Sox were showing interest in the 24-year-old catcher, who’d certainly have been a target of multiple clubs if the Dodgers were willing to trade him.

“I haven’t talked to Dalton (about the trade speculation),” Roberts said on Monday (link via Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register). “I just don’t see a world in which he’s moved anyway, and I think he’s smart enough to realize that.” That aligns with reporting from Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, who wrote last week that the Dodgers aren’t inclined to trade either Rushing or infield prospect Alex Freeland — who is expected to come up for his MLB debut tomorrow.

Rushing entered the season as L.A.’s best minor league talent and a top 20 overall prospect at Baseball America. Teams are loath to part with prospects of that caliber. To the extent that there was chatter about the Dodgers potentially dealing Rushing, it came from a question of playing time. Will Smith is locked in as L.A.’s primary catcher for a decade. That didn’t stop the Dodgers from calling Rushing up in the middle of May. They haven’t given him starts anywhere other than catcher in the big leagues, seemingly preferring not to overload him with defensive responsibility as he adjusts to facing pitching at the highest level.

The lefty-hitting Rushing has started slowly, batting .200/.270/.275 while striking out 36 times in his first 89 MLB plate appearances. That’s a tiny sample in only semi-regular playing time that seemingly hasn’t given the Dodgers any pause about his offensive upside. The former second-round pick has a .289/.409/.512 slash in 301 career Triple-A plate appearances. Rushing has a full slate of minor league options, so the Dodgers have the ability to send him back to Triple-A if they decide to turn to a more experienced backup at some point.

Red Sox Interested In Dalton Rushing

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The Red Sox have interest in Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing, according to a report from Sean McAdam of MassLive. McAdam also reports that the Dodgers have had a scouting presence at Boston’s High-A affiliate in Greenville to monitor shortstop prospect Franklin Arias and left-handed prospect Brandon Clarke. It’s unknown whether a deal between the two sides is close at this time or what the exact framework of a deal involving Rushing would look like.

Rushing, 24, was a second-round pick by the Dodgers in 2022 and entered the 2025 season as a consensus top-30 prospect in the sport. He slashed a sensational .308/.424/.514 in 31 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City for the Dodgers earlier this year before being promoted to the majors back in May. He’s struggled since that promotion while serving as the backup to Will Smith, with a .216/.280/.297 slash line across 27 games. He’s struck out in a worrisome 41.5% of his plate appearances, but has looked like a capable defensive catcher and has some impressive underlying power numbers including a 12.2% barrel rate.

While Rushing may not be an immediate impact player at this point, he’d be a long-term addition with plenty of upside for the Red Sox who could make up for the loss of Kyle Teel in this past winter’s Garrett Crochet deal. In the short-term, meanwhile, he would surely be an improvement over Connor Wong as the backup to Carlos Narvaez behind the plate in Boston. Wong has had a brutal season in 2025, hitting just .144/.228/.144 across 101 plate appearances. That’s 95% worse than league average by measure of wRC+, and his weak offense has been complemented by middling defense behind the plate. Rushing would provide as much or more defensive value as compared to Wong, with a modestly more valuable bat in the short-term and plenty of long-term room for growth behind the plate both offensively and defensively.

Both prospects McAdam reports the Dodgers have been scouting are extremely well-regarded. Following the graduations of Kristian Campbell, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer earlier this year, MLB Pipeline rates Arias as the top prospect in Boston’s system while Clarke clocks in as the system’s fourth-best prospect. Baseball America, meanwhile, places Arias fourth and Clarke sixth in the system on a ranking that still includes both Anthony and Mayer. Arias is ranked 34th overall in Pipeline’s top 100 while Clarke is unranked. BA is lower on Franklin (55th overall) but views Clarke as a top-100 talent in his own right as he’s 72nd on their list.

That pair of prospects would be a substantial return if the Dodgers were able to land them both in exchange for Rushing’s services, particularly considering the fact that Rushing is largely blocked by the presence of Smith on a long-term deal. Catching talent is highly sought-after around the league, however, and with other catching-hungry teams like the Rays, Nationals, Guardians, and Mets all potentially on the lookout for help behind the plate it would surely be a competitive market if the Dodgers were to make Rushing available.

That L.A. is scouting some of Boston’s high-end prospects should not necessarily be taken as a sign that a deal is close or especially likely. McAdam suggests that the Dodgers might not be motivated to part with a player on their major league roster to acquire prospects far away from the majors. It wouldn’t be a shock if a club that was willing to offer L.A. immediate help of significance was better positioned to land Rushing, and the Guardians in particular have intriguing pieces they could dangle such as closer Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Steven Kwan, both of whom could make plenty of sense for a Dodgers club that is on the prowl for bullpen help and has gotten minimal production from Michael Conforto in left field. That’s a largely speculative connection, of course, and Rushing by himself surely wouldn’t be enough to land either one of those players.

All that said, it wouldn’t be the first time the Dodgers have dealt a blocked top prospect in exchange for long-term pieces. Prior to the 2024 season, L.A. swapped Michael Busch (and right-hander Yency Almonte) to the Cubs in a deal that landed them outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Ferris. That pair of prospects were not yet consensus top-100 talents and were even farther from the majors then than Arias and Clarke are now, but the deal has certainly paid off for the Dodgers given that Hope is rated as the sport’s #31 prospect by Pipeline while Ferris clocks in at #97. Of course, it must be noted that the Busch trade was an offseason deal, and the urgency associated with the trade deadline could make the Dodgers less incentivized to focus on bolstering their farm system when they’re in the midst of defending their title as the reigning World Series champions.

MLBTR Podcast: The Disappointing Orioles, Dalton Rushing, And The Phillies’ Bullpen

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • Who are some hitters who could be available at the deadline? (36:05)
  • Who are some pitchers who could be available at the deadline? (46:40)
  • When will the Pirates fire general manager Ben Cherington? (53:00)

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images

Dodgers Notes: Rushing, Sasaki, Snell, Glasnow

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The Dodgers have gotten top catching prospect Dalton Rushing looks at first base and in the corner outfield to expand his defensive portfolio, but Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that at least for the time being, Rushing will serve only as a catcher in the majors. The 24-year-old is set to make his MLB debut tonight when catching a bullpen game, and the plan is for him to catch twice a week while also participating in daily game-planning meetings, catching bullpen sessions and serving as a true understudy to veteran backstop Will Smith.

Rushing, the No. 40 overall draft pick in 2022, has torched Triple-A pitching dating back to 2024. He’s tallied 301 plate appearances there and turned in a .289/.409/.512 batting line, taking walks in more than 15% of his plate appearances along the way. Perhaps down the road, Rushing could see time at other positions if his bat again forces the team’s hand, but manager Dave Roberts likened today’s promotion to that of Smith several years ago.

“We did it with Will before his rookie year (when we) brought him up in September to get assimilated with how we do things on the game-planning stuff,” said the skipper. “In one sense, to not take at-bats every day, you could see some downside. But I think that having (him) here in this environment, around our pitchers, around our coaches … I think just net sum was more positive.”

Rushing will likely get the nod behind the dish tonight in a bullpen game that would have gone to right-hander Roki Sasaki were it not for a trip to the 15-day injured list due to a shoulder impingement. ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez writes that Sasaki’s shoulder discomfort began earlier this month. The right-hander himself described the issue as not necessarily painful, but limited mobility in his shoulder. Even in the absence of strict pain, sub-optimal range of motion in the shoulder is an obvious detriment to any pitcher’s ability on the mound.

The onset of the discomfort appears particularly evident when looking at Sasaki’s game log. He averaged 96.4 mph on his heater through his first six starts of the season but sat at 94.8 mph in each of his two most recent turns. His splitter had a similar drop, going from 85.2 mph on average to 84 mph. Even prior to his recent velo dip, Sasaki wasn’t throwing as hard as he did in Japan. Still, the results in those two most recent outings weren’t pretty — eight runs on 11 hits and four walks with only four strikeouts in nine innings pitched — and the Dodgers will now give that ailing shoulder a break.

A firm timetable for Sasaki’s absence isn’t yet established. Gonzalez notes that at least for now, Sasaki isn’t expected to receive any kind of injection to treat the shoulder. He’ll be down for a to-be-determined period, but the Dodgers will be back to a five-man rotation in short order, with Clayton Kershaw’s return set for this weekend.

Also on the mend are top starters Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. Jack Harris of the L.A. Times reports that Snell was throwing in the outfield yesterday and is again moving forward with his throwing program after it was pushed back last week. Gonzalez adds that Glasnow, too, has been cleared to resume throwing. Both former All-Stars will need to progress through several milestones and then head out on a minor league rehab assignment, so a return for either isn’t exactly just around the corner — but it’s nevertheless encouraging to hear that both are trending in the right direction.

Dodgers Promote Dalton Rushing, Designate Austin Barnes For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced that they have selected catching prospect Dalton Rushing to their roster. Fellow catcher Austin Barnes has been designated for assignment as the corresponding move. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported the Rushing promotion prior to the official announcement while Robert Murray of FanSided relayed the Barnes DFA.

Rushing, now 24, was selected by the Dodgers in the 2022 draft. It was technically a second-round pick, 40th overall, though that was the club’s top selection that year. It was moved back ten spots due to the Dodgers going over the third tier of the Competitive Balance Tax in 2021. The club gave him a signing bonus of just under $2MM, right around slot value.

Since then, Rushing has done nothing but mash at the plate. He has stepped to the dish 1,150 times in total, for various minor league clubs. He has been struck out at a reasonable 21.5% pace in that time, while drawing walks at an excellent 15.6% clip. He has 54 home runs and a .277/.412/.519 batting line, which translates to a 154 wRC+.

That production would be excellent from any position but especially for a catcher, a spot that generally comes with lower offensive expectations. He’s also considered a good defender behind the plate, only adding to his prospect stock. The combination makes Rushing a consensus top 50 prospect. Baseball America currently lists him at #31 with MLB Pipeline having him at #15. In the preseason, FanGraphs gave him the #8 spot, ESPN and Keith Law of The Athletic both had him at #16.

Despite Rushing’s obvious talents, it was unclear how the Dodgers would fit him in. Will Smith has been the club’s regular catcher for years and is signed through 2033. Teams with two good catchers will sometimes use the designated hitter spot to distribute more at-bats but the Dodgers can’t do that. They have Shohei Ohtani in the DH spot every day and he’s also signed through 2033.

That led the Dodgers to have Rushing dabble at other positions. He has played a bit of first base and left field in the minors, though he’s still been behind the plate more often than he’s been in those spots.

With Barnes being the corresponding move, it seems Rushing will slot into the catching mix alongside Smith. Perhaps his ability to play other positions will help both backstops get into the lineup. Freddie Freeman has first base locked down, but there’s a path for Rushing to get some outfield playing time.

Both Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman are currently on the injured list. That leaves the club with an outfield alignment consisting of Andy Pages, Michael Conforto and James Outman, with utility guys Hyeseong Kim and Chris Taylor contributing on occasion as well. Pages is the only guy in that group currently hitting well, so perhaps Rushing will be able to take some playing time from the others.

It’s too late in the season for Rushing to earn a full year of service time, at least the traditional way. As a top prospect, he technically has a path to earning a full year of service by finishing in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting, though that will be a challenge. No one is currently running away with the NL ROY race but Rushing is still weeks behind others who have been up all year. Even the best prospects will sometimes struggle when first promoted to the majors, so there’s no guarantee that Rushing can just storm through the rest of the season.

Regardless, it seems the club plans for Rushing to be up for good, since they are moving on from Barnes. If Rushing struggles and they want to send him back down, Hunter Feduccia is also on the 40-man roster. Assuming Rushing finishes 2025 shy of the one-year service line, he’ll be under club control through 2031, so he and Smith can theoretically be the catching duo for years to come.

As for Barnes, he has been serving as a glove-first backup catcher for over a decade now. He has appeared in 612 games for the Dodgers, dating back to his 2015 debut. He has a combined .223/.322/.338 line in that time, which translates to an 85 wRC+. That indicates he’s been about 15% worse than the league average hitter, but catchers are generally about 10% worse than league-wide par, so that’s not bad output for a backup catcher.

Since he also provided good work behind the plate in that time, he has been a fairly solid member of the roster, leading the Dodgers to sign him to a modest extension in 2022. They were satisfied enough with his performance to pick up a $2.5MM club option for the 2025 season.

However, his offense seems to have a hit new low this year. He is striking out at a 31.8% clip, easily the highest of his career, while his 2.3% walk rate is a personal worst by a notable amount. He currently has a .214/.233/.286 slash and 44 wRC+.

Given that Barnes is now 35 years old, the club may not have much hope of a turnaround. The combination of his struggles and Rushing’s ascendance has pushed Barnes off the roster. The Dodgers will now technically have a week of DFA limbo to work out what’s next. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so any trade talks would have to come together in the next five days.

There’s not likely to be much interest, based on his salary and recent performance. If he clears waivers, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency while keeping his entire salary coming to him. If he ends up on the open market, another club could sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Dodgers pay.

Photos courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Bryan Terry and Matt Marton, Imagn Images

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