Dodgers Prospect Update: Dalton Rushing, Andy Pages, Patrick Copen

The Dodgers seem to have big things in store for No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing. He wasn't moved at the trade deadline — LA didn't even offer him to the White Sox when they were chasing Garrett Crochet — and they conspicuously moved him to the outfield during his last few games in Double-A, even though he'd been drafted as and came up through the system as a catcher and first baseman.

His path to catcher or first base would've been blocked for the foreseeable future, so using him as a powerful trade chip seemed to be the only thing left to do. The defensive shift made it clear that they still wanted to see more of him, and potentially carve out a place for him in the majors with the team that drafted him.

He's been quick to make it clear that the Dodgers made the right decision. Ever since he was promoted on Aug. 6, Rushing has been making Triple-A look too easy for him. He got his first hit during his first at-bat, and he's since reached base in all 17 games he's appeared in since (through Aug. 25) and has at least one hit in 14 of them.

In August, across Double- and Triple-A, he's batting .346 with a monstrous 1.125 OPS. seven homers, and 18 RBI. With the outfield potentially losing three players in the offseason (Teoscar Hernández, if the Dodgers don't extend or re-sign him, Kiké Hernández, and Kevin Kiermaier), Rushing is well on his way to making his major league debut next season.

Dodgers Prospect Update: Dalton Rushing on-base streak, Andy Pages still raking, Patrick Copen surgery

Andy Pages has also been a standout at Triple-A, though that comes as no surprise. Pages was pushed in the roster crunch when the Dodgers had to accommodate Max Muncy and Tommy Edman, and has played five games in OKC since then. Although there were Dodgers who were far more deserving of getting pushed than Pages, his remaining minor-league options made him the easy choice for management.

He's also got a nice five-game on base streak going as of Aug. 25, with two homers and two RBI. There was really no question that Pages would do well when he returned to Triple-A when, by the time he was optioned, he'd been batting .318 over his last seven games. He's a lock to be recalled again when rosters expand on Sept. 1.

In not so positive news, No. 20 prospect Patrick Copen was struck by a 100 MPH line drive on Aug. 20 during his ninth High-A start. Copen didn't lose consciousness, but he was placed in a neck brace and was carted the field. JP Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation followed up to report that Copen will have to undergo surgery on his face, and he was moved to the Loons' 60-day IL, ending his season.

However, Dodgers director of player development Will Rhymes said Copen "is getting great care and he’s doing well, all things considered." Hopefully, Copen will be able to recover well and get back on the field next season.