Dalton Rushing undergoing testing for concussion

Smith has been sidelined since June 11 with a neck injury, and while he’s begun swinging, it sounds like the Dodgers are going to handle this situation very carefully. Dalton Rushing should continue to be Los Angeles’ main catcher and be a viable starter in 12-team leagues while Smith is sidelined. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya believes the Dodgers view this as “an extended development period” for Rushing.

Robinson will stick around as emergency organizational depth after being jettisoned from Los Angeles’ 40-man roster earlier this week. The 31-year-old backstop went 2-for-23 during an eight-game stint with the Dodgers. Eliezer Alfonzo will back up Dalton Rushing until Will Smith (neck) returns from the injured list.

He was also only involved in one near-brawl, so that’s progress. It wasn’t really his fault anyway; Cole Carrigg slid into him at home plate and did a face plant afterwards, but that was mostly because his hand got caught on the leg of home plate umpire Dan Iassogna, who was caught being too close to the plate. The dugouts started to empty when it looked like the two players were going to come together, but cooler heads quickly prevailed. Rushing’s doubles came off Kyle Freeland early in the game, and the second would have been a homer in 22 ballparks, according to Statcast. The game-winner was a 74-mph grounder against a drawn-in infield that just squibbed past Edouard Julien at second base. It was Rushing’s 30th RBI, and it made the Dodgers the first team to 60 wins this season.

Robinson loses his spot on Los Angeles’ 40-man roster amid a flurry of moves. The 31-year-old backstop went 2-for-23 during an eight-game stint with the Dodgers. It’ll be Eliezer Alfonzo backing up Dalton Rushing until Will Smith (neck) returns from the injured list.

Robinson went 2-for-23 in his brief time with the Dodgers, and Los Angeles will give Eliezer Alonso a chance to backup Dalton Rushing instead. Robinson could get another shot if Alonso struggled, there’s just no upside here whether he’s in Los Angeles or OKC.

Alfonzo finally receives the call to the big leagues after spending nearly a decade in the minors. The 26-year-old Venezuelan native was hitting .313/.392/.422 with one homer at Triple-A Oklahoma City this season. He’ll give the Dodgers some additional catching depth behind Dalton Rushing with the club deciding to move on from Chuckie Robinson, who went 2-for-23 in eight games since being called up.

It sounds like he’s making tangible strides in the right direction in his recovery from neck inflammation that has shelved him since early June. The Dodgers sound hopeful that he’ll be able to return shortly after the All-Star break. Dalton Rushing will continue to handle the bulk of the work behind the plate in his absence.

It’s his third career game with four hits and second with four RBI. Rushing’s five balls in play tonight ranged in exit velocity from 99.2 mph to 108.7 mph. He raised his average 19 points to .263, his OPS 51 points to .843 and his hard-hit rate from 41 percent to 44 percent.

There was optimism that Smith would make it back to Los Angeles at some point in early July, but those odds seemed to get longer in recent weeks while Smith remained shut down from baseball activities. The 31-year-old is working his way back from neck inflammation and the Dodgers have zero incentive to rush him and risk any setbacks. There should be a clearer timeline at some point in the coming weeks. It’ll be former top prospect Dalton Rushing continuing to handle the bulk of the catching duties for the Dodgers.

Rushing returns to Los Angeles lineup after passing concussion protocol. There was some initial concern when he took a foul tip off his mask during Monday’s series opener, but he checked out fine after undergoing precautionary testing. It’s a significant relief for the Dodgers since they’re without primary backstop Will Smith (neck) for at least another week or two. Rushing’s return sends Chuckie Robinson back to the bench after filling in admirably the last two days.