July 29, 2025 9:49 PM : Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Rushing isn't a candidate to be moved ahead of the trade deadline, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports. "I just don't see a world in which he's moved anyway, and I think he's smart enough to realize that," Roberts said.
Analysis: The caveat, of course, is that the team's front office -- not Roberts -- is the entity responsible for making any trade decisions on Rushing. That said, Roberts' confidence about Rushing remaining with the club past the deadline isn't all that surprising given that the rookie backstop entered the campaign as one of the league's top catching prospects. Rushing has struggled at the plate this year, posting a .200/.270/.275 slash line with one home run, 11 RBI and a 40.4 percent strikeout rate over 89 plate appearances, but Roberts pointed out that a learning curve is understandable since the 24-year-old is having to adjust to sporadic playing time. The Dodgers had enough confidence in Rushing's big-league readiness to part ways with longtime backup catcher Austin Barnes, who was DFA'd in mid-May.