In the span of three days, the Dodgers lost both of their catchers. Dalton Rushing will miss at least 10 days, as he was placed on the injured list on Saturday with a contusion on his right shin.
Rushing fouled a ball off his right leg in the sixth inning on Friday night, and immediately crumpled to the ground. He had to be helped off the field by manager Dave Roberts and trainer Yosuke Nakajima. If there’s some semblance of positive news here, it’s that imaging showed no fracture in Rushing’s leg.
Will Smith, who left Wednesday night’s game after taking a foul ball off his right hand and hasn’t played since, won’t be available on Saturday but might be ready to hit off the bench on Sunday, Roberts told reporters in Baltimore.
Chuckie Robinson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City to fill in at catcher, where he was splitting time behind the plate with Ben Rortvedt, who was called up Thursday and starts behind the plate on Saturday.
Robinson, who was claimed off waivers from the Angels on May 31, is a right-handed batter who has played parts of two seasons in the majors (2022, 2024), and hit .132/.170/.194 in 136 plate appearances. Between Salt Lake and Oklahoma City in Triple-A this year, Robinson hit .264/.333/.372 with five home runs in 301 plate appearances.
Rortvedt is a left-handed hitter who has played parts of four seasons in the majors, including six hits in 65 at-bats this season between the Rays and Dodgers. In 36 games in Triple-A between Durham and Oklahoma City this season, Rortvedt hit .205/.299/.333.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Robinson, pitcher Matt Sauer was designated for assignment. Sauer in six major league stints with the Dodgers this season had a 6.37 ERA and 5.02 xERA in 10 appearances, including one start and one four-inning save, with 24 strikeouts and eight walks in 29 2/3 innings.
