Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing Got Huge Boost of Confidence After Trade Deadline Passed

As the July 30 trade deadline approached, the Dodgers had a chance to make a large splash. Their farm system is among the top five in baseball, according to industry consensus, and one prospect has stood out above the rest: catcher Dalton Rushing.

Rushing followed up his appearance in the 2023 Futures Game with a scorching start at Double-A Tulsa. He slashed .271/.378/.513 in 77 games before earning a promotion to Triple-A Oklahoma City. All he’s done in 21 games since advancing a level is boost his batting average (.324), on-base percentage (.452), and slugging percentage (.581).

A catcher in college in Louisville, Rushing spent the majority of his pro career at the position as well. Since the Dodgers signed catcher Will Smith to a 10-year, $140 million extension in March, it would have been entirely defensible if the Dodgers decided to send Rushing elsewhere in return for players who filled a position of greater need.

However, the Dodgers reportedly declined to include Rushing in any trade talks with a pitcher who might have been their number-1 target at the deadline: Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet.

In an interview with Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation on Friday, Rushing admitted that news gave him a boost of confidence.

“It’s a boost of confidence, for sure,” Rushing said. “[It] helps me feel a little more set in stone, allows me to just play my game at the end of the day, and I don’t have to think too much about those types of things. That time of the year comes around and everyone’s scuffling, everyone’s thinking, ‘Oh, am I gonna end up here, there, whatever.’ At the end of the day, when that time rolled around, I was like, ‘Alright, I’m here.’

“I’m doing whatever I got to do to show them that they want to keep me for X amount of years, and whatever that is, I’m going to make sure that I do it.”

For now, that includes playing a bunch of left field.

Rushing has gotten 17 of his 18 starts in left field since his promotion to Triple-A. It’s a chance for Rushing to increase his positional versatility while also auditioning for a role he’s more likely to play in case he’s called up this season. His only game at catcher with Oklahoma City came Thursday, when starter Diego Cartaya needed a day off after catching a long stretch of games.

For his part, Rushing says he’s willing to accept whatever comes his way.

“It’s if this team holds on to me, that means they value me in a high way,” he told McKain. “If they trade me off, they understand that I have a chance to help that team win at the big league level right now. And that’s kind of the way I go about it. And obviously, it’s much easier said than done. But when all those things are going on, I’m telling myself, ‘Hey, I’m safe, I’m here. Show them whatever you have to show them to make sure they want to keep you for the next 5, 10 years, whatever it is.’ “

Photo Credit: Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman/ USA Today Network

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