Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing creating a big, but good, problem originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Dalton Rushing is going to force the hand of the Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts.
He might be a catcher on a team that already has long-time star Will Smith, but that’s not going to matter if Rushing keeps hitting like this.
Right now, Rushing is giving the Dodgers a very good problem to have. They’ve got to figure out how to play him in addition to Smith.
On Monday night in Toronto, Rushing homered twice. This isn’t a guy to be kept on the bench at the moment.
Dalton Rushing is fully breaking out.
He’s 4-for-4 with two home runs on Monday against the Blue Jays. He also homered on Sunday.
Rushing is now hitting .667 with an OPS of 2.367 this year. He’s gonna force the Dodgers to find him more playing time.pic.twitter.com/EyeCW41qhi
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) April 7, 2026
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This isn’t a fluke, either. It’s not just some journeyman taking advantage of occasional playing time.
Rushing was a bonafide, top-tier prospect. He’s supposed to be good. And right now he’s proving that he is legitimately good.
That doesn’t mean he’ll take Smith’s job. More likely, the Dodgers will try to shuffle some pieces around, potentially seeing if the athletic Rushing can do some positive things in the outfield.
He still won’t play every day. There are too many worthy bats for Roberts to choose from.
But Rushing has forced the issue. He’s got to stay in that lineup, especially with the way he’s swinging it right now.
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