GLENDALE, Ariz. — As much as he would have liked to play better in his rookie season, Dalton Rushing enjoys the feeling of coming into a new season with something to prove.
“I love the fire of not performing and not doing the things I’m capable of, really, last year,” Rushing said after going 1-for-3 with a run scored in Monday’s 3-0 win over the Mariners. “I think it’s just the better you can embrace how bad that time was, or whatever you want to call it — it’s hard to say it was a bad time when you win a World Series.
“But as far as my performance, I like having a back-against-the-wall kind of feeling.”
Not only is Rushing the backup to one of the best catchers in baseball, Will Smith, but Smith is under contract through 2033. While Rushing should also see time at first base, Freddie Freeman never wants to take a day off — and would like to play four more years, through 2029. Although Rushing briefly got a look in the outfield in ’24 in the Minor Leagues, that is not in the cards going forward. That gives him limited opportunities to figure out how to succeed at this level.
“You got to simplify things,” manager Dave Roberts said earlier in Spring Training. “Not necessarily lower expectations, but understand what are wins and what are not wins. Because … players are designed to look at production, but when you’re not playing every day as a young player who could always use the repetitions, production isn’t always just getting hits.”
That’s a lesson that Rushing tried to embrace during his rookie season. The team made clear that Rushing’s main objective in his first taste of big league action was to focus on developing defensively and learning the pitching staff. Any offensive upside he could bring to the table would be a bonus.
Rushing met expectations in that regard, but his performance at the plate left him wanting more. After hitting well at every level of the Minors, Rushing slashed .204/.258/.324 in 53 games with the Dodgers.
Last year, arguably Rushing’s biggest moment came when he slugged a go-ahead three-run homer in the Dodgers’ final contest against the Padres in August, which helped L.A. get back a share of the National League West lead. It seemed like a game that could give him momentum, but his playing time was limited after he missed a chunk of September due to a right leg contusion. After that, Ben Rortvedt took over as Smith’s backup for the postseason run.
From Rushing’s perspective, his biggest challenge was inconsistency, both with his playing time and how he performed. He understood what it meant to be a backup in theory, but in practice, he found it difficult to adapt to the expectations of his role. The Dodgers are hopeful that he will be able to build off last year’s experience.
“I want him to understand his role as a backup catcher,” Roberts said. “What that entails, really learn the pitchers, learn a swing that works for playing a couple times a week. He’s used to playing a lot more. But I think that just kind of still maturing, because it’s not easy to not play every day when you’re used to that.”
There’s a mechanical piece to that process. This offseason, Rushing tinkered with the timing of his swing, which he hopes will put himself in a better position to do damage whether he’s playing every day or coming off days of rest. He’s still feeling it out, but he will have plenty of time to adapt this spring with Smith leaving to join Team USA for the World Baseball Classic.
The other piece is his mentality. Rushing would love to have another big moment like he did last August in San Diego, but that’s not expected of him every time he’s in the lineup. His primary focus is finding ways to contribute, however that may look.
“The word this year is ‘produce,'” Rushing said. “I just want to produce for this team, whatever way that is, whether it means putting down a bunt in the eighth to get a runner over, or it means to hit a go-ahead double. Come up big in big situations, whatever way it is. I just want to help this team win.”
