The Dodgers announced that they have selected catching prospect to their roster. Fellow catcher has been designated for a signment as the corresponding move. reported the Rushing promotion prior to the official announcement while relayed the Barnes DFA. Rushing, now 24, was selected by the Dodgers in the 2022 draft. It was technically a second-round pick, 40th overall, though that was the clubs top selection that year. It was moved back ten spots due to the Dodgers going over the third tier of the Competitive Balance Tax in 2021. The club gave him a signing bonus of just under $2MM, right around slot value. Since then, Rushing has done nothing but mash at the plate. He has stepped Ricky Vanasco Jersey to the dish 1,150 times in total, for various minor league clubs. He has been struck out at a reasonable 21.5% pace in that time, while drawing walks at an excellent 15.6% clip. He has 54 home runs and a .277/.412/.519 batting line, which translates to a 154 wRC+. That production would be excellent from any position but especially for a catcher, a spot that generally comes with lower offensive expectations. Hes also considered a good defender behind the plate, only adding to his prospect stock. The combination makes Rushing a consensus top 50 prospect. currently lists him at #31 with having him at #15. In the preseason, gave him the #8 spot, and both had him at #16. Despite Rushings obvious talents, it was unclear how the Dodgers would fit him in. has been the clubs regular catcher for years and is signed through 2033. Teams with two good catchers will sometimes use the designated hitter spot to distribute more at-bats but the Dodgers cant do that. They have in the DH spot every day and hes also signed through 2033. That led the Dodgers to have Rushing dabble at other positions. He has played a bit of first base and left field in the minors, though hes still been behind the plate more often than hes been in those spots. With Barnes being the corresponding move, it seems Rushing will slot into the catching mix alongside Smith. Perhaps his ability to play other positions will help both backstops get into the lineup. has first base locked down, but theres a path for Rushing to get some outfield playing time. Both and are currently on the injured list. That leaves the club with an outfield alignment consisting of , and , with utility guys and contributing on occasion as well. Pages is the only guy in that group currently hitting well, so perhaps Rushing will be able to take some playing time from the others. Its too late in the season for Rushing to earn a full year of service time, at least the traditional way. As a top prospect, he technically has a path to earning a full year of service by finishing in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting, though that will be a challenge. No one is currently running away with the NL ROY race but Rushing is still weeks behind others who have been up all year. Even the best prospects will sometimes struggle when first promoted to the majors, so theres no guarantee that Rushing can just storm through the rest of the season. Regardle s, it seems the club plans for Rushing to be up for good, since they are moving on from Barnes. If Rushing struggles and they want to send him back down, is also on the 40-man roster. A suming Rushing finishes 2025 shy of the one-year service line, hell be under club control through 2031, so he and Smith can theoretically be the catching duo for years to come. As for Barnes, he has been serving as a glove-first backup catcher for over a decade now. He has appeared in 612 games for the Dodgers, dating back to his 2015 debut. He has a combined .223/.322/.338 line in that time, which translates to an 85 wRC+. That indicates hes been about 15% worse than the league average hitter, but catchers are generally about 10% worse than league-wide par, so thats not bad output for a backup catcher. Since he also provided good work behind the plate in that time, he has been a fairly solid member of the roster, leading the Dodgers to sign him to a in 2022. They were satisfied enough with his performance to pick up a $2.5MM club option for the 2025 season. However, his offense seems to have a hit new low this year. He is striking out at a 31.8% clip, easily the highest of his career, while his 2.3% walk rate is a personal worst by a notable amount. He currently has a .214/.233/.286 slash and 44 wRC+. Given that Barnes is now 35 years old, the club may not have much hope of a turnaround. The combination of his struggles and Rushings ascendance has pushed Barnes off the roster. The Dodgers will now technically have a week of DFA limbo to work out whats next. The waiver proce s takes 48 hours, so any trade talks would have to come together in the next five days. Theres not likely to be much interest, based on his salary and recent performance. If he clears waivers, he has more than enough service time to reject an outright a signment and elect free agency while keeping his entire salary coming to him. If he ends up on the open market, another club could sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Dodgers pay. Photos courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Bryan Terry and Matt Marton, Imagn Images Dustin Peterson Jersey
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