Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing will undergo elbow surgery today, reports Maddie Lee of the L.A. Times. He’s expected to undergo an internal brace procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. That surgery would come with an approximate nine-month recovery window before Rushing can return to catching, though he’d be cleared to resume hitting well before that.
A nine-month window would see Rushing unable to catch until next July. Given Shohei Ohtani’s presence as the team’s designated hitter on days when he’s not pitching, that doesn’t leave Rushing with much of a path to playing time in the interim. Rushing has experience at first base and in left field, but it’s doubtful he’d be cleared to play either spot when he’s first given the green light to resume hitting.
Rushing, 26 in February, is the backup to Will Smith and also saw occasional time at first base and designated hitter in 2026. He first landed on the injured list due to a ligament tear in his elbow on the day of the trade deadline. He spent a month on the shelf before briefly returning, but he logged only eight hitless plate appearances through the remainder of the season and wasn’t on L.A.’s roster for either the National League Division Series or the National League Championship Series.
Prior to his injury, Rushing had a strong year at the plate. The former top prospect stepped into the batter’s box on 253 occasions and slashed .246/.328/.460 with a dozen homers. His 29.2% strikeout rate was far too high, but Rushing did walk in 9.1% of his plate appearances, which helped him maintain a solid on-base percentage despite that proclivity to swing and miss.
Specifics on a return will be up in the air until Rushing has the surgery and the Dodgers see how his rehab progresses. It’s possible he’ll rejoin the club sooner than he’s cleared to return to catching work (or work at any other position) if injuries create an opportunity. In the meantime, Hunter Feduccia and Eliezer Alfonzo are the only two backup options to Smith on the 40-man roster. Neither (Alfonso in particular) is a lock to hold his 40-man roster spot throughout the season. Los Angeles outrighted fellow backup catching option Ben Rortvedt in September, and he elected minor league free agency a few days ago.
Smith, 31, is entering the fourth season of a 10-year, $140MM contract. He missed three months this summer due to a neck issue. He looked sharp in 75 plate regular season plate appearances following his activation, batting .295/.400/.548, but he went just 3-for-31 with nine strikeouts in 32 postseason plate appearances.
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