Dalton Rushing Bio
Dalton Wayne Rushing is an American professional baseball catcher and first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Born on February 21, 2001, he has developed into one of the Dodgers’ most respected young catching prospects, reaching the majors in 2025. Rushing played college baseball for the Louisville Cardinals before being selected in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Known for his power at the plate and his versatility behind it, Rushing has moved between catcher, first base, and left field during his professional career. He is regarded as a polished hitter with on-base skills, and he has quickly progressed through every level of the Dodgers’ minor league system since turning pro in 2022.
Early Life and Background
Dalton Wayne Rushing was born on February 21, 2001, and grew up in Brighton, Tennessee, where he attended Brighton High School. At Brighton, he developed into a standout baseball player, batting .491 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI as a senior in 2019, when he earned All-State honors. Despite that production, he went undrafted in the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.
Rather than turning professional out of high school, Rushing chose to continue his development at the collegiate level. He enrolled at the University of Louisville, joining a Cardinals program that had a strong recent tradition of producing catching talent. His path to a starting role, however, was not immediate.
Path to Professional Baseball
At Louisville, Rushing initially split time behind the plate with Henry Davis before moving to first base as a freshman in 2020. The 2020 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic after only six appearances, but the experience helped him grow as a hitter. In 2021, Rushing appeared in 28 games for the Cardinals, batting .254 with four home runs and 14 RBI.
That summer, he played in the Cape Cod Baseball League with the Bourne Braves, where he batted .314 with six home runs over 118 at-bats and was named a league all-star. When Davis was selected first overall in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, Rushing stepped into the role of Louisville’s starting catcher for 2022. He responded with a strong senior season, slashing .310/.470/.686 with 23 home runs, 62 RBI, and 16 doubles in 64 games, earning All-American honors and cementing his status as a top MLB Draft prospect.
Dalton Rushing Career
Professional Career Beginnings (2022–2023)
The Los Angeles Dodgers selected Rushing in the second round with the 40th overall pick of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft. He signed with the club on July 30, 2022, receiving a signing bonus of $1,959,390. Rushing made his professional debut with the Arizona Complex League Dodgers before being promoted after just two games to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the Single-A California League.
With the Quakes, Rushing was outstanding, appearing in 28 games and hitting .424 with eight home runs and 30 RBI. At the end of the regular season, he was promoted to the Great Lakes Loons so he could play in the Midwest League playoffs, where he drove in three runs across three games. In 2023, Rushing remained with the Loons and hit .228 in 89 games with 15 home runs and 53 RBI, while also representing the Dodgers at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game.
Double-A and Triple-A Success (2024)
Rushing was selected to participate in the inaugural Spring Breakout minor league showcase during spring training in 2024. He opened the year with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers and earned a midseason promotion to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Baseball Club in August 2024, where the organization announced he would also see time in left field. Between the two levels, Rushing played in 114 games, batting .271 with 26 home runs and 85 RBI.
His strong all-around season was recognized when the Dodgers named him the Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year for 2024, a major internal honor within the organization. The award underlined his standing as one of the top catching prospects in all of baseball heading into 2025.
Los Angeles Dodgers Era (2025–Present)
Rushing began the 2025 season with the Oklahoma City Baseball Club, where he hit .308 with five home runs and 17 RBI in 31 games. On May 14, the Dodgers selected his contract to the 40-man roster and promoted him to the major leagues for the first time. He made his MLB debut on May 15, 2025, starting as the catcher against the Athletics.
He recorded his first MLB hit in his second plate appearance, singling off Jason Alexander, and on May 31 he hit his first career major league home run off Pablo Reyes of the New York Yankees. Rushing went on to appear in 53 games for the Dodgers, batting .204 with four home runs and 24 RBI. He also made one postseason appearance in 2025, striking out as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the National League Division Series before being removed from the roster for the following round.
Notable Events and Milestones
Rushing’s ascent through the Dodgers system featured several milestones, including a Cape Cod League All-Star selection, an appearance in the 2023 All-Star Futures Game, and a 2024 Branch Rickey Minor League Player of the Year award. His first major league hit and first major league home run both came in May 2025, marking the start of his MLB career. He also reached the MLB postseason in his rookie season with the Dodgers.
Dalton Rushing Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Dalton Wayne Rushing grew up in Brighton, Tennessee, and has kept much of his personal and family life private. Publicly available information about his immediate family is limited, but it is known that his brother, Logan Rushing, plays college baseball at the University of Memphis. The two brothers share a connection to the sport at a competitive level.
2025 Season Performance
Rushing’s 2025 season was a year of firsts at the major league level. He opened the year at Triple-A Oklahoma City, where his strong .308 batting average and five early home runs in 31 games forced the Dodgers’ hand and led to his promotion in mid-May. Once in Los Angeles, he served primarily as a catcher and contributed at the plate in a reserve role.
Across 53 major league games, Rushing batted .204 with four home runs and 24 RBI, providing a left-handed bat behind the plate while continuing to learn the demands of big-league pitching staffs. He also reached the postseason with the Dodgers, appearing in Game 3 of the National League Division Series as a pinch hitter. Rushing’s combination of power potential, plate discipline, and defensive flexibility positions him as a long-term piece of the Dodgers’ catching and corner-infield plans heading into 2026.