Dodgers' Dave Roberts Reveals Where Dalton Rushing Needs to Grow

The Los Angeles Dodgers have given a larger opportunity this season to catcher Dalton Rushing, allowing him the chance to prove himself at the big league level.

Part of this has been due to an injury to starter Will Smith, but Rushing has made the most of his opportunity this year. Overall, Rushing has hit .262 with eight home runs and 22 runs batted in, while putting up an OPS of .851 over 43 games played.

However, even with the success that he's seen to open the season, manager Dave Roberts believes there is more for Rushing to learn at this level.

“It might not show it that after he vents, he does a good job of collecting himself to get back into the next play, the next at-bat, catching,” Roberts said. “I think his growth needs to be the adjustments in-game, and they need to be sooner. That’s a lot of times with young players. Swinging at balls out of the strike zone because you want to do too much and letting the game come to you, and that’s not an emotional thing, that’s just kind of trying to slow the game down.”

Rushing has demonstrated poise at a young age, especially playing for a team with heavy title expectations. This isn't easy to do, and it shows how talented a player he can really become.

But learning the big league game isn't simple, given the talent of the opposing players. Rushing has been trying to learn as much as he can from the guys around him, but the best method to grow is more reps.

The Dodgers have been very encouraged with his level of development this year, and his presence on the roster has been huge. With Smith being out, Rushing has allowed them to not skip a beat at the catcher spot, which isn't easily done whenever an All-Star gets replaced.

Rushing just earned his first career walk-off hit, helping the Dodgers take down the Baltimore Orioles in the opening game of their three-game series.

Rushing was frustated all night — even being seen snapping his bet on his knee in the dugout — but came through when the game was on the line.

DALTON RUSHING WALKS IT OFF

DODGERS WIN 6-5 pic.twitter.com/J461h2LqX1
— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) June 20, 2026

Rushing has seen his fair share of issues this year as well, with him drawing criticism for how competitive he is. Rushing has gotten into multiple incidents with opposing teams, with his teammates calling for him to take more caution.

“You never want to be viewed as a guy like that from opposing teams,” Rushing said earlier this year. “You want guys to hate playing against you because of the player that you are and how great you are on a baseball field. Not because of the verbalized things you say.”

Rushing has been trying to move on from the different incidents, using the playing time given to help push him through. But this is all part of the learning curve for the young catcher, and keeping his emotions in check is part of being a professional player.

Luckily for Rushing, he has a lot of strong leaders in the Dodgers clubhouse, and this should greatly benefit him as he continues to mature.

Add us as a preferred source on Google