A day after the Los Angeles Dodgers put Dalton Rushing on the injured list, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday that the catcher is dealing with a partially torn right ulnar collateral ligament.
The team previously called Rushing’s injury an inflamed or strained elbow.
According to Roberts, Rushing will continue hitting during his rehab, though he won’t throw again for four to six weeks.
“Don’t know what that looks like for the rest of the season and throughout the postseason,” Roberts said in an interview on AM 570 KLAC. “Fortunately, it happened the day before the trade deadline. So … today we’re looking at two new catchers.”
Knowing Rushing’s status, the Dodgers picked up Hunter Feduccia in a Monday trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, the same day they added Ben Rortvedt in a deal with the New York Mets.
The team’s top catcher, Will Smith, has been sidelined since early June because of a neck injury. Smith is expected to be out until at least late August.
Rortvedt started behind the plate on Tuesday in his first major league game of the season. He went 0-for-2 as the Dodgers fell 5-1 to the host Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles’ season-worst fifth straight defeat.
Rushing, 25, is batting .253 with a .335 on-base percentage, a .475 slugging percentage, 12 homers and 36 RBIs in 74 games this year. He broke into the majors with Los Angeles last year, hitting .204/.258/.324 with four homers and 24 RBIs in 53 games.
Rortvedt, 28, split last season between the Rays and the Dodgers, compiling a .152/.240/.205 batting line with one homer and 10 RBIs in 44 games. In 48 games for the Mets’ Triple-A Syracuse affiliate this season, he hit .235/.319/.414 with six home runs and 26 RBIs.
Feduccia, 29, amassed a .234/.306/.340 hitting line with two homers and 12 RBIs in 61 games for Tampa Bay this year. He handled the last two innings at catcher for Los Angeles on Tuesday but didn’t get a plate appearance.