Dodgers' Top Prospect Opens Up About Possibility of Being Called Up This Year

J.P. Hoornstra | Sep 8, 2024

Oklahoma City's Dalton Rushing (21) warms up before a baseball game between the Oklahoma City Baseball Club and the Round Rock Express at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Dodgers dodged a bullet Saturday, when outfielder Teoscar Hernández revealed he will not need to go on the injured list as a result of a pitch that hit his foot Friday night, forcing him to leave the game against the Cleveland Guardians.

Hernández wasn't in the starting lineup Saturday night and won't be again for the series finale Sunday, but told reporters he might be back in the lineup Monday or Tuesday.

Had Hernández needed to miss significant time, perhaps the first name on a shortlist of potential outfield call-ups was Dalton Rushing, the Dodgers' top prospect.

Rushing was drafted out of the University of Louisville as a catcher in 2022, becoming the Dodgers' first pick in that year's draft. He has ascended the minor league ranks quickly, reaching Triple-A this year and continuing his hot start at Oklahoma City.

In 26 games with the Dodgers' top farm team through Saturday, Rushing is slashing .283/.412/.500, with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

More critically, he's played almost exclusively in left field — Hernández's position — making a call-up over the weekend particularly possible.

The 23-year-old knows he needs to be ready for just such a situation.

"I'm going to be ready. They can call my name whenever and know I'll go up there and get the job done," Rushing said in a recent interview with Dodgers Nation's Doug McKain. "That's my biggest goal is how can I press the envelope and force my own hand."

A native of Brighton, Tennessee, Rushing was the 40th overall pick in the second round in 2022 — a year the Dodgers did not have a first-round draft choice.

Rushing came in at No. 27 on Baseball America's most recent midseason Top 100 prospect update, making the highest-rated prospect in the Dodgers' organization.

Ranked number 50 on BA's Top-100 list before the season, Rushing was assigned to Double-A Tulsa to begin the 2024 campaign. He struggled out of the gate compared to his time in Oklahoma City, slashing .271/.378/.513 for the Drillers.

“[Double-A is] not as hitter-friendly of a league, just taking a ton of walks, not swinging the bat too much," Rushing told McKain. "This year, my main goal was to go up there with the idea to do damage, hitting in the two, three, four, five spot [in the lineup]. Ideally, that's my job. That was my main goal getting in and so far it's worked out pretty well. At the end of the day, I'm just trying to finish the season as strong as possible and just get myself to get myself a chance to keep playing baseball.”