Thursday, February 19, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

A season away from making his major league debut, Dalton Rushing is still adjusting to a backup catching role.

Before the 2024 season, Will Smith signed a 10-year, $140 million contract extension. This means the Dodgers won’t need a primary catcher for a long time. Some pundits thought Smith would go to another position after a few years since catching is the most physically and mentally demanding position on the baseball diamond. In many interviews, Smith has revealed that he has no plans to move to another position any time soon.

However, the top prospect in the Dodger organization was a young catcher named Dalton Rushing. The Dodgers could have traded him, but Andrew Friedman chose not to even though he could have gotten a well-known superstar or restocked the farm system for Rushing.

After a long time, the backup Dodger catcher Austin Barnes proved his baseball skills were deteriorating in early 2025, and the Dodgers decided to release Barnes, shocking everyone.

Since Rushing had nothing else to prove in the minor leagues, the Dodgers promoted him to Los Angeles.  Nevertheless, at no time during the 2025 season did Rushing look comfortable.

Rushing struggled adjusting to not playing daily. He was known for his offensive skills, but in the 2025 season in the major league system, he hit .204 with 4 home runs and 24 RBI. He struggled defensively and didn’t appear to have confidence while working with the veteran pitching staff.

Early in September, Smith suffered a hairline fracture in his hand and couldn’t play for about a month. This was a prime opportunity for Rushing to prove himself. Promptly, he fouled the ball off his shin, a bone bruise that landed him on the IL.

To Rushing’s credit, he returned quickly, but he didn’t appear in many games because the Dodgers preferred Ben Rortvedt, who was claimed by the New York Mets last week. Rushing received one at-bat during the playoffs, and he wasn’t on the NLCS or World Series roster.

Coming into spring training, Rushing must develop a great relationship with the pitchers. He must learn how to hit satisfactorily while playing only twice a week. Rushing is an emotional guy and needs to keep his emotions under control and perform.

If Rushing wants to be a long-term backup catcher for Smith, he needs to develop trust with his pitchers, control his frustrations with his lack of offensive production, and improve his defense.