Dalton Rushing's UCL tear leaves Dodgers scrambling at catcher

The Dodgers' catching depth just took a hit at the worst possible time. Dalton Rushing, the 25-year-old who'd carved out real playing time behind Will Smith this year, has been diagnosed with a partial UCL tear in his right elbow, and the injury is serious enough that manager Dave Roberts says he won't throw again for 4 to 6 weeks.

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Dalton Rushing Diagnosed With Partial UCL Tear t.co/KTVH2I9jO4

This didn't come out of nowhere, but it also didn't look this bad at first. Rushing landed on the injured list Monday with what the club initially labeled a mild elbow strain. Then came the follow-up imaging during the team's trip to Chicago, and that's when the real diagnosis surfaced: a slight tear in the UCL. The hope is Rushing avoids surgery, but the Dodgers aren't banking on him catching again this season.

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#Dodgers catching becomes significant question mark with specifics on Dalton Rushing's injury t.co/eHqMd2Dm3j

Through 74 games this season, Rushing was hitting.253 with 12 homers and 36 RBIs, a solid line for a guy splitting time behind the plate. His last game action came Saturday against Boston before the strain sidelined him, so this went from mild concern to season-altering news in a matter of days.

The Dodgers weren't about to sit on their hands. At the trade deadline, they went out and grabbed two catchers, Ben Rortvedt from the Mets and Hunter Feduccia from the Rays, and got both into the lineup almost immediately, with Rortvedt starting and Feduccia coming off the bench. It's a clear signal the front office isn't treating this as a short-term band-aid.

Complicating things further, Will Smith himself has been dealing with his own return timeline, reportedly needing 3-4 weeks of ramp-up before he's back to full strength. That means for a stretch, the Dodgers could be leaning on their newly acquired backstops to hold down a position that's supposed to be a strength for a team with real World Series aspirations.

Best case for Rushing, he skips surgery, rests up, and comes back as a left-handed bat off the bench before the year is out, giving Los Angeles a jolt of thump even if he's not squatting behind the plate. Worst case, this lingers and the Dodgers are piecing together catcher duty with midseason pickups deep into a playoff push. Either way, this is one of the more consequential injuries of the Dodgers' season, and how they navigate it will say a lot about their depth heading into October.