The Los Angeles Dodgers are the villains of baseball. After spending over a billion dollars following the 2023 season, the Dodgers used Shohei Ohtani and company to dominate and win the 2024 World Series. Rather than taking a step back following a huge World Series victory, the Dodgers took multiple steps forward by adding players like Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki over the offseason.
Still, even supervillains aren't without problems. Los Angeles' pitching staff has dealt with a lot of injuries so far this season, and some of their best players haven't even found their strides yet as they battle with the San Diego Padres atop the NL West.
To make matters even worse, the Dodgers just saw one of their better hitters go down, as outfielder Teoscar Hernandez was recently placed on the IL with a hamstring injury. James Outman has been called up to take his place on the active roster, but he struggled mightily as a rookie last season, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to turn it around in his second stint in the Majors.
It's also unclear just why Outman was the choice here, as the Dodgers are passing up the chance to finally give their best prospect a long-overdue shot.
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Top prospect Dalton Rushing is the perfect Teoscar Hernandez replacement
There has been a lot of speculation around Dalton Rushing, the team's No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline. His bat has been ready for a while, but the Dodgers have a loaded roster, so it's tough for him to find a spot in the everyday lineup — especially at his natural position of catcher, where Will Smith is the present and the future. But all Rushing does is crush the ball at the Triple-A level, and it's hard for the Dodgers to continue to leave him down there. With the Hernandez injury, it's clear that Rushing is the best replacement available.
On the year, he's hitting .306/.425/.494 at Triple-A, and this kind of slash line is nothing new. The young prospect has incredible power and the athleticism to go with it; he has three home runs, a triple, five doubles and nearly as many walks as strikeouts on the campaign.
To make matters even better, Rushing has been playing a bit more left field in the Minor Leagues as the Dodgers look to give him alternate paths to playing time. This could be an indication that he's gearing up to replace Hernandez, or it could just be a crazy coincidence.
Either way, the Dodgers need to bring him up to the big leagues for good. He's far too talented to continue in the Minors. Once he breaks into the Majors, it's tough to imagine the Dodgers sending him back down.