Add The California Post on Google Welcome to The California Post’s weekly Dodgers recap, where baseball writers Dylan Hernández and Jack Harris review the week that was, hand out very official awards and take stock of the state of the season.
How will Dalton Rushing do as fill-in starting catcher?
Dalton Rushing has not been shy about saying he doesn’t want to be a backup forever.
Right now, with the Dodgers officially placing Will Smith on the injured list Thursday with a neck injury, the former first-round pick will get his first extended audition to prove himself in a starting role.
Really, Rushing has been filling in as the everyday catcher since last weekend, getting five straight starts since Smith was first sidelined with what was later diagnosed as an inflamed disk.
So far, the former top prospect’s results have been solid, albeit mixed. He had a four-hit, three-RBI game last week against the Angels but is just 2-for-14 otherwise. He has also helped the Dodgers to a 3-2 record as the backstop behind the plate but was left second-guessing some ABS decisions in Shohei Ohtani’s most recent start Wednesday.
Overall, the 25-year-old slugger has been praised by manager Dave Roberts, who has repeatedly highlighted Rushing’s growth in what has been a much-improved second big-league season.
“I think that’s been one of the silver linings [of Smith being out], giving Dalton some opportunity,” Roberts said. “I think he’s gotten his footing. I think he’s doing a great job with the pitchers. His at-bat quality is getting more consistent. The production is there. Just giving him the opportunity is certainly a plus for him and his growth.”
Indeed, the opportunity will continue at least until next weekend, with Smith not eligible to return until June 19.
Ryan Ward (4-for-19, 2 home runs, 8 RBIs this week; .242 average, .840 OPS this year)
How much longer Ward remains in the majors isn’t clear, with Tommy Edman nearing the end of his rehab assignment and Teoscar Hernández already several weeks into what was expected to be a roughly monthlong absence.
But right now, the longtime minor leaguer is taking advantage of his first extended big-league opportunity, with Ward hitting two more home runs this week, including his first career grand slam Wednesday in Pittsburgh.
The holes in Ward’s game have started to show themselves. Notably, he has struck out 10 times already in 34 plate appearances this year. But the 28-year-old rookie is also showing plenty of pop at the plate, with Wednesday’s grand slam marking his fifth extra-base hit on the season, while also raising his RBI total to 11 in just 10 games.
Another pleasant surprise has been Ward’s defense in left field, where he has made a couple of sliding catches and looked generally comfortable thanks, in part, to daily pregame work with outfield coach Dino Ebel.
So far, it has made Ward more than serviceable as the left-handed-hitting portion of the Dodgers’ left field platoon. The role won’t last forever, but he is making a lasting impression.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (8 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts vs. Angels this week; 6-4 record, 2.68 ERA, 73 strikeouts in 77 ⅓ innings on season)
This was not the best week from the Dodgers’ pitching staff, but it yielded Yamamoto’s best performance of the season.
With better defense in the first inning of Saturday’s start against the Angels, the right-hander might have had a shot at a no-hit bid –– holding the Angels hitless over his final seven innings of work thereafter.
Still, the outing was the closest Yamamoto has looked this season to his form from last October, when he pitched two complete games and found elevated levels of effectiveness and efficiency.
Now, Yamamoto is tracking to potentially be the lone pitcher from the Dodgers (excluding Shohei Ohtani) who is selected for the All-Star Game.
He currently ranks seventh in the National League in ERA (2.68), second in WHIP (0.92) and sixth in batting average against (.201).
Mike Sirota (50-game on-base streak currently; .337 average, 10 home runs, 39 RBIs in High-A/Double-A this year)
We’ve highlighted Sirota in this space before. But what he’s doing now warrants recognition again.
Entering Friday, the 22-year-old outfield prospect –– originally acquired by the Dodgers in a trade for Gavin Lux with the Reds two years ago –– had reached base safely in 50 consecutive games, becoming the first minor leaguer in more than two years to accomplish such a feat.
Sirota has also been rising up prospect rankings recently, including a bump to the No. 19 overall prospect in the game by Baseball America.
He’s one of several talented outfielders headlining the Dodgers’ system and just the latest example of how the club had maintained a strong pipeline despite few high draft picks for much of the last decade.
(Where we identify a potential Dodgers’ future acquisition — sometimes far-fetched, sometimes not)
Kyle Finnegan, Tigers (ETA: August)
The Tigers are dead, so it makes sense for the Dodgers and other contenders to pick at their remains. With no guarantees of how Edwin Diaz will pitch when he returns, the Dodgers need whatever bullpen help they can get. The Tigers can offer them that in Finnegan, a 34-year-old right-hander with a 2.01 ERA in 31 ⅓ innings. Finnegan is under contract through next season –– his deal also includes a mutual option for 2028 –– but that’s of minimal value for the Tigers, who will rebuild after they lose Tarik Skubal this winter. Here’s an idea: What if the Dodgers acquire Skubal and Finnegan in the same trade?
