This article was generated by artificial intelligence and is automatically updated as news breaks. All credit belongs to the original reporters and their publications.

Dalton Rushing exited Monday’s game against the Twins in the third inning and is being evaluated for a concussion, per Dodger Blue. The early exit comes on the same night Kyle Tucker was removed in the second inning with lower back spasms — a brutal one-two punch to open this road trip.

Rushing has been thrust into the starting catcher role since Will Smith went down with a neck injury earlier this season. The 23-year-old was the Dodgers’ first-round pick (15th overall) in the 2022 draft out of Louisville, and he’s been one of the more highly regarded catching prospects in all of baseball. His promotion to the big leagues was accelerated by necessity, and he’s been tasked with handling a pitching staff that demands a lot from its backstop. Losing him — even temporarily — to a concussion would be a significant problem, because the depth behind him is thin and unproven at the major league level.

Concussion timelines in baseball are notoriously unpredictable. The seven-day concussion injured list exists specifically for these situations, but the actual return depends entirely on how quickly symptoms clear. Some guys bounce back in a week. Others linger for much longer. There’s no rushing this one (no pun intended), and the Dodgers will have to be patient regardless of how badly they need him behind the plate.

This is where things get genuinely concerning for us. Smith is already out with his neck issue — we just covered his updated return timeline after a cortisone shot — and now the guy filling in for him may be headed to the IL as well. The Dodgers will likely need to look internally for emergency catching depth, whether that means a call-up from the minors or some creative roster maneuvering. It’s not an ideal situation by any stretch.

Monday night in Minnesota was about as rough a start to a road trip as you can draw up. Tucker leaving early, Rushing leaving early, and the club already dealing with Treinen on the IL and several other pieces banged up. I don’t want to pile on the doom, but the training staff is earning their paychecks right now. We need to see the results of Rushing’s concussion evaluation before we know the full scope of this, but the Dodgers should be preparing contingency plans at catcher immediately. This roster is being tested hard.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: June 23, 2026 12:48 AM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers