With over 45 days of major league service time now under his belt, Dalton Rushing has officially graduated from No. 1 prospect to rookie status. Rushing's promotion on May 14 and Austin Barnes' corresponding DFA were more than pleasant surprises; it seemed like the Dodgers were finally ready to usher in some of the younger talent they've been sitting on. Chris Taylor's DFA to keep Hyeseong Kim in the majors just a few days later was another step in the right direction.
Rushing took over as the Dodgers' backup catcher, but his path to a full-time job is still unclear. Even so, Dave Roberts predicted big things for him.
"I just think that he has talent," Roberts said. "I think that superstars that I've been around, they have an edge and they have a chip. And I just think that he plays with an edge and a chip. He always feels he's the best option, and that's what some of the best have."
That's high praise, but Rushing hasn't exactly been playing like a superstar. In his first 52 at-bats, he's struck out 28 times (that's 54%) and walked just seven times. His only homer came off of a position player on May 31.
58 plate appearances, 28 strikeouts for Dalton Rushing
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) June 28, 2025
Dave Roberts predicts Dodgers rookie Dalton Rushing will be a "superstar," but his first 18 games haven't been great
There's also the fact that Rushing may never be a full-time player as long as he's on the Dodgers' roster. Will Smith is quietly having a .300/.400/.500 season, is a lock to be the National League's All-Star starting catcher, and seems to be fully healthy. Even if he wasn't already locked into a 10-year contract extension, he'd be the first choice as their primary catcher.
18 games is still a very small sample size, the jump from the minors to majors is getting more drastic all the time, and it's impossible to ask a top prospect to be impervious to the weight of those expectations, especially coming up to a team like the Dodgers.
Rushing still has an elite chase rate, but he's whiffing pretty terribly and isn't squaring the ball up. His bat speed and sweet spot numbers are still promising, so we might be able to blame these early struggles mostly on nerves. There's still more than enough reason to be optimistic for how Rushing will grow into his role, but the early going has been rough to watch.