Dalton Rushing

The Dodgers finally made room on their roster for Rushing to get a chance at the big-league level when they DFA'd long-time backup catcher Austin Barnes in mid-May. That move led to Rushing getting his first big-league call-up and a chance to serve as Will Smith's backup behind the plate, but Rushing didn't do much with the opportunity, posting a .582 OPS with four homers, 24 RBI and an ugly 37.4 percent strikeout rate across 155 plate appearances. An ill-timed shin injury and IL stint in early September came just as Smith suffered a hand injury that eventually landed him on the injured list too, and Ben Rortvedt played well enough as the fill-in that he, rather than Rushing, claimed the No. 1 catcher role late into the regular season while making the postseason roster behind Smith. With that said, Rortvedt is now with Cincinnati and Los Angeles reportedly shied away from considering trading Rushing last summer, so he still seems to have some leash in the organization. Smith is locked into a 10-year contract that runs until 2034, so Rushing doesn't appear to have a path to the starting catcher role, but he should open the season as Smith's backup while potentially getting additional looks in the outfield. Read Past Outlooks