Another Dalton Rushing temper tantrum vs Padres shows Dodgers can't get through

On a night where the Los Angeles Dodges dominated the San Diego Padres to the tune of a 15-3 drubbing, another Dalton Rushing temper tantrum has taken center stage.

Rushing homered during Saturday's efforts for LA, so he still remains an ascending player on the field, but his antics are starting to cast him in less than desirable light. One would think after Rushing's incident with Shohei Ohtani would have represented rock bottom. If nothing else, it should've been wake-up call for Rushing to probably keep a low profile for the rest of week.

That's proving to be an impossible task for the young catcher. During his first at-bat of the game on Saturday, Rushing appeared to be in some discomfort. It was enough that he called for time to step out of the box, and take a second before resuming the sequence.

Upstaging Shohei Ohtani wasn't enough for Dalton Rushing, now it's Dave Roberts.

Naturally, when that happens, it becomes somewhat procedural for the manager to check on the player with the team's trainer. That is exactly what Dave Roberts did later in the at-bat, and Rushing was clearly annoyed. The 25-year-old was spotted trying to wave off Roberts and the Dodgers' trainer multiple times before they came out, and even during the conversation between the three it was clear Rushing was beyond irritated.

The excuse of Rushing just being young and still learning the ropes of being a major leaguer is becoming a tired one. At any level of baseball, it's customary for a player to be checked out if there's a potential injury scare — especially for the Dodgers, who already have Will Smith sidelined through the All-Star break. One of the last things the Dodgers need is for Rushing to miss time with an injury.

Hence why they checked on him. Instead of, you know, doing what most players and casually confirm that they are healthy, Rushing turned it into another charade.

The impression remains that while Rushing is an importance piece on the Dodgers' roster — carrying a 123 wRC+ and nine home runs through 165 plate appearances — there is some development need not related to his production. The Dodgers continue to put up with the act, and in part it's because they have no choice. But this feels like something that's headed in the wrong direction.

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