Friday, February 6, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

On Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers DFAed left-handed reliever Anthony Banda and added catcher Ben Rortvedt.

Am I surprised?

No.

While Banda was a fan favorite, he was a mediocre left-handed reliever, and the Dodgers don’t need a mediocre left-handed reliever when they have Jack Dreyer, Alex Vesia, and Tanner Scott. The Dodgers can put Justin Wrobleski into the bullpen.

Last season, Banda appeared in the most games as a Dodger reliever. He was solid but not spectacular. He would have been more valuable than now if baseball hadn’t gotten rid of the ability of a reliever who can face only one batter.

The Dodgers need catching depth. This spring training, while Will Smith is participating in the World Baseball Classic, Dalton Rushing will get the bulk of catching before the Dodgers reclaim Rortvedt.

In 2025, Rushing didn’t impress anyone. At 24, in 53 games, Rushing had a.204 batting average with 4 home runs, and 24 RBI. Defensively, he didn’t show an ability to shift his body to block the ball in the dirt. He didn’t call a good game. He did throw out potential base stealers.

The Dodgers acquired Rortvedt at the 2025 trading deadline from the Tampa Bay Rays. When Smith suffered a hairline fracture in September, Rortvedt took over and caught many brilliant pitching performances, including a near no-hitter by Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He contributed to the offense with timely sacrifice bunts and a good eye for the strike zone. Rortvedt is a perfect backup catcher.

We will find out together what the Dodgers will do with Rushing.