Dodgers writer has bold roster move for LA involving top prospect before postseason
With just 18 games under his belt in Triple-A, Dalton Rushing is already making it seem like a promotion to the majors leagues isn’t a matter of if, but rather when. He’s reached base safely in all 18 of those games, with one or more hits in 14 of them. The Dodgers also moved him to the outfield ahead of the trade deadline, and he’s been operating as full-time outfielder since his promotion to Triple-A.
Although the Dodgers have promoted players with less time in Triple-A than Rushing currently has (Justin Wrobleski was brought up after just five starts), there’s not much room for LA to get experimental with the major league roster. They’ve edged away from the Diamondbacks and Padres a bit in the division and rosters expand to 28 players on Sept. 1, but it’s likely the two extra spots will go to Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Andy Pages, and they might even have to make space for Tony Gonsolin, who might return in a bullpen capacity.
Still, Dodgers writer Blake Harris had an interesting proposal to possibly get Rushing to the majors this season. Will Smith has been struggling heavily at the plate in the back half of the season, and the Dodgers could add Rushing to the 40-man as a contingency, should anything happen to Smith.
Dodgers writer sees a path to the majors for Dalton Rushing this season
Through 16 games this month, Smith is batting .193 with a .597 OPS. He hasn’t batted over .212 in a single month since April. The Dodgers have already made their bed here, having extended Smith on a 10-year deal earlier this season. While he could just be having a down year, having a potentially more effective offensive option on the 40-man roster to call up for the postseason could be helpful.
However, as good as Rushing has been since his promotion, it’s seems unlikely that the Dodgers would gamble on him like this. 18 games in Triple-A just isn’t enough, and the Dodgers would have to be in dire straits to give a prospect his MLB debut in the postseason. Smith hasn’t been great this year, but he also hit .417 in the postseason last year and has five years of postseason experience behind him.
It’s not a bad thought experiment at all, but it does feel pretty far-fetched. Still, that doesn’t detract from Rushing’s outstanding showing in Triple-A, and he’ll undoubtedly be at spring training and fighting for an Opening Day spot in 2025.
