Will Smith (neck) has resumed throwing

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.

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.

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’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.

The original expectation was that Smith would be ready to return to Los Angeles at some point in early July. That’s looking a bit less likely at this juncture. The 31-year-old backstop has been dealing with neck inflammation that put him on the shelf earlier this month. There should be a more definitive return timeline once he resumes baseball activities.

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.

Rushing remains in concussion protocol after taking a foul tip off the mask during the early stages of Monday’s series opener in Minnesota. It’ll be Chuckie Robinson handling the catching duties in his absence. The 25-year-old backstop passed initial concussion tests, but the Dodgers aren’t going to take any chances. There should be some clarity on his status prior to Wednesday’s series finale.

Rushing was lifted from Monday’s series opener for precautionary reasons after taking a foul tip off his mask in the opening frame. He’ll remain in concussion protocol and continue to be evaluated for at least another day or two. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Dodgers brought up another catcher as an emergency backup behind Chuckie Robinson for the rest of the series in Minnesota.

Rushing was replaced by Chuckie Robinson behind the plate in the third inning. He was struck in the mask by a foul tip earlier in the contest. The 25-year-old will undergo testing to determine whether he suffered a concussion. The big concern for the Dodgers is that Will Smith (neck) remains a couple weeks away from returning from the injured list. The club is likely going to have to bring up some emergency catching depth from Triple-A Oklahoma City. There should be an update on his status prior to Tuesday’s contest.