The Los Angeles Dodgers sure would love to have Dalton Rushing right now.
Their starting catcher, Will Smith, is 1-for-23 to begin the postseason. He’s clearly playing through injury, but the Dodgers don’t have any choice but to use him.
Rushing isn’t even on the playoff roster, either for the NLDS win over the Atlanta Braves or now in the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Dodgers fell behind 0-2 in the series in two games that Smith hit in the heart of the order but didn’t do any damage.
They moved Smith down in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS, but that’s about all they can do. They don’t have Rushing to call on.
Where is Dalton Rushing?
Dalton Rushing is currently sidelined due to injury.
The injured list doesn’t work the same in the playoffs, but the Dodgers had placed Rushing on the IL for a portion of September.
When he came back from injury, the Dodgers could only use him as a pinch-hitter or as the designated hitter. He couldn’t catch.
Why Isn’t Dalton Rushing Playing?
Rushing’s injury removes a whole facet of his game.
He partially tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow in August, and he reaggravated it in September while playing catch.
While it’s unclear exactly the status of Rushing’s elbow right now, the premise is that he can’t throw.
A catcher makes as many throws in a game as the pitchers — most not at the same intensity, but they’re always using their arm — and a few times a game, they do need to throw full throttle.
If Rushing is unable to throw at the moment, it doesn’t just remove him from playing catcher. You can’t really play him elsewhere in the field, either.
Apparently the Dodgers didn’t feel it hampered his swing, because they kept hitting him in September.
It would be hard, though, to have a guy on a postseason roster who genuinely wasn’t healthy enough to play the field. The implication of the Dodgers not having Rushing on the roster is simply that, that he’s not able to do it.
There’s always a chance if they rallied to make the World Series that Rushing could be more healed or pose more of a benefit to have on the roster. But since he’s not on the NLCS roster, he can’t play at least until the next round when new rosters would be submitted.
Who is Dodgers’ Backup Catcher?
The Dodgers’ backup catcher behind Smith in the playoffs is Hunter Feduccia.
He came aboard in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays over the summer.
Feduccia is a prototypical defense-first catcher. He’s not worth starting over Smith unless Smith’s ailments get so bad that he can’t go out there.
It’s just tough for the Dodgers, who are dealing with both Smith and Shohei Ohtani being far from full strength.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Where is Dalton Rushing? Why Dodgers’ Catcher Behind Will Smith Isn’t Playing in Playoffs appeared first on HEAVY.