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The Los Angeles Dodgers' front office waited for just the right time to promote Dalton Rushing, the top position player in their organization who was rapidly ascending their minor league ranks.
Wednesday, they decided it was time.
Rushing was added to the Dodgers' major league roster for the first time, and veteran catcher Austin Barnes was designated for assignment, before the Dodgers hosted the Athletics on Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Thank you Austin for all the contributions you made in Dodger blue and helping to bring two championships to Los Angeles. pic.twitter.com/QvSi9J4612
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) May 14, 2025
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic was first to report Rushing's promotion on Twitter/X.
The Dodgers are calling up prized catching prospect Dalton Rushing, sources tell The Athletic.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) May 14, 2025
Rushing, a consensus Top-30 prospect in all of MLB, was hitting .308 with a .424 on-base percentage and .514 slugging percentage in 31 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.
Rushing was making a push for a promotion last year, his first at the Triple-A level. The former second-round pick in the 2022 draft slashed .273/.396/.511 in 37 games with the Dodgers' top minor league affiliate.
A catcher in college, the Dodgers moved Rushing to left field, a position of need for their eventual World Series champion club. Ultimately, they decided to delay Rushing.
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This season, Rushing has seen time at catcher, first base and left field for the Oklahoma City Comets. More importantly, he's validated the perception that his initial showing at Triple-A last year was no fluke.
As a non-roster invitee to the Dodgers' major league spring training camp, Rushing displayed the patience at the plate that endeared him to the organization in the first place. He drew nine walks in 19 plate appearances. He also had a double and a single, bringing his on-base percentage to .619 against Cactus League pitching.
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In a corresponding move, the Dodgers cut ties with Barnes, who had been in the organization since Dec. 2014. The longest-tenured position player on the team, Barnes was hitting .214 as the backup to starting catcher Will Smith.
In 11 major league seasons with the Dodgers, Barnes was never the primary catcher, yet he persevered as a backup thanks to his superior framing and game-calling skills. He slashed .223/.322/.338 and never drew more than 262 plate appearances in a single season.
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Along the way, Barnes appeared in 44 postseason games, collecting championship rings in 2020 and 2024. He caught the final out of the 2020 World Series and appeared in five games against the Tampa Bay Rays as the Dodgers broke their 32-year title drought.
Now, the Dodgers appear poised to turn over the catching position to some combination of Smith and Rushing, who can also serve as a left-handed bat off the bench. Rushing got experience this season at first base and left field in addition to catcher.
It's a small turning point for one of the league's premier franchises and the end of a long era in Los Angeles.
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About the writer
J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers ... Read more