Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing went from minor arm irritation to the injured list with elbow inflammation, to now a slight tear in his ulnar collateral ligament that will sideline him for at least a month.
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed to reporters on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field that MRI results Monday showed a “slightly torn” UCL in Rushing’s elbow. From Jack Harris of the California Post:
Roberts expounded after Tuesday’s game by saying Rushing will remain on a hitting program, but is set to
be shut down from throwing for up to potentially 4-6 weeks.
That could leave his status as a catching option in doubt for the stretch run of the year, and potentially the playoffs.
“Don’t know what that looks like for the rest of the season and throughout the postseason,” Roberts said. “Fortunately, it happened the day before the trade deadline. So… today we’re looking at two new catchers.”
Couple Rushing’s injury with Will Smith still needing at least three to four weeks at minimum before returning from a neck injury, the Dodgers’ catching is now in the hands of Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing, both former Dodgers who were acquired on Monday before the trade deadline. Both were activated on Tuesday, with Rortvedt starting behind the plate in Tarik Skubal’s debut and Feduccia catching Eric Lauer on Wednesday’s series finale in Chicago.
It’s similar to last September when Smith had a hand injury and Rushing injured his shin. Rortvedt went from relative obscurity to starting 19 out of 25 games, including four postseason games before Smith returned. Now, it’s Rortvedt and Feduccia for the foreseeable future behind the plate, perhaps until Smith might return in either late August or September.
