Dalton Rushing Embraces Role Playing Behind Will Smith, Seeks Smoother Second Season

PHOENIX — Dalton Rushing’s first twelvemonth successful nan large leagues pinch nan Dodgers didn’t spell rather arsenic planned.

Over 53 games aft his May call-up, nan highly-regarded imaginable batted .204 pinch a .258 on-base percentage, .582 OPS, 4 location runs and 24 RBI. It was nan only clip successful his shot life — speech from his freshman twelvemonth astatine nan University of Louisville — that Rushing was not a regular fixture successful his team’s lineup.

“It was very, very up and down,” Rushing said. “It was immoderate good, immoderate bad, immoderate ugly. A batch of things were caller to me, nan scattering [of] playing clip was tough. It was a small reliable being capable to enactment connected apical of compete mode, support nan plaything successful a bully spot.”

But it still yielded a alternatively satisfying extremity result.

“Overall, I sewage to triumph a World Series pinch this team,” Rushing said. “And it’s difficult to look backmost and think, ‘I’d return this backmost aliases I’d return that back.’ It went precisely really it was planned.”

With three-time All-Star catcher Will Smith successful beforehand of him, Rushing’s domiciled is clear: he is nan Dodgers’ backup catcher. Dodgers head Dave Roberts feels bully astir Rushing’s progression going into 2026.

“Dalton’s successful a bully spot correct now,” Roberts said past week. “I want him to understand his domiciled arsenic a backup catcher, what that entails, really study nan pitchers, study nan plaything that useful for playing a mates times a week. He’s utilized to playing a batch more. But I think, that [he’s] still maturing, because it’s not easy to not play each time erstwhile you’re utilized to [playing regularly]. I deliberation that he grew past year, and I for illustration wherever he’s at.”

Roberts plans to usage Rushing astatine first base, if Freddie Freeman comes retired of nan crippled aliases needs a time off. Rushing will not, however, play successful nan outfield, wherever he saw immoderate tally successful nan insignificant leagues.

“Outfield’s not connected nan table”, Roberts said. “I do deliberation that there’s going to beryllium immoderate spots for him to travel into games if Freddie’s retired aliases if there’s a crippled he doesn’t play, we’ll spot really that lines up. And I deliberation correct now for me, conscionable seeing really nan roster plays retired arsenic acold arsenic what are nan options we mightiness person astatine first base, but I do want to get him at-bats erstwhile I can.”

Rushing started Saturday’s Cactus League opener against nan Angels, driving successful a tally connected a sacrifice alert successful his 3 at-bats. The 25-year-old said he’s afloat embracing his spot connected a nine vying for its 3rd consecutive championship.

“For me, if I tin support myself fresh to play 2 aliases 3 times a week, past it’s going to beryllium easy to support myself fresh to play 5 aliases six,” Rushing said. “To beryllium capable to spell done thing for illustration this early successful my career, wherever I person to not only gain nan clip connected nan field, but besides navigate my measurement done my career, I deliberation it’s a really bully commencement to my career, to beryllium capable to understand really this crippled works.”

Rushing besides views playing down Smith arsenic a valuable opportunity to study from 1 baseball’s champion catchers, thing he believes will thief him turn arsenic a player.

“I person a spot to activity down nan champion catcher successful baseball,” Rushing said. “And from there, I’m going to beryllium fixed opportunities to spot much clip connected nan field, to get my bat successful location arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, and it’s up to maine to return advantage of those opportunities and proceed to put myself connected nan section arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.”

Rushing says he does not person immoderate individual goals aliases accolades that he hopes to scope successful 2026. This play is astir squad occurrence and winning.

“The main extremity particularly pinch this domiciled is I’m going to triumph arsenic galore [games as] possible,” Rushing said. “Every crippled I’m connected nan field, I want to win. I want to triumph 110 games successful nan regular play arsenic a Dodger. We’re afloat tin of it. I deliberation that’s a bully extremity to put for ourselves and it conscionable makes each and each crippled that overmuch important.”

Shohei Ohtani throws unrecorded BP earlier departing for WBC

Before nan Dodgers’ 5-1 triumph complete nan San Diego Padres successful Peoria, Ariz., connected Sunday, Shohei Ohtani had a unrecorded batting believe convention astatine Camelback Ranch successful which he threw 33 pitches and struck retired Freeman and Mookie Betts.

“I felt beautiful bully astir coming successful position of volume,” Ohtani said via expert Will Ireton aft his session. “While successful Japan, I scheme to do immoderate benignant of unrecorded BP/bullpen/some benignant of simulation.”

After nan game, Roberts revealed nan prima two-way subordinate is expected to depart either Sunday nighttime aliases connected Monday to subordinate Team Japan for preparations for adjacent month’s World Baseball Classic.