Why MLB trade deadline will reveal Dodgers trust level with Dalton Rushing

PHILADELPHIA — Actions, they say, speak louder than words.Which is why, for all the public backing the Dodgers have given second-year catcher Dalton Rushing during his nearly two-month stint as the team’s fill-in starter, their true trust level in the former top prospect won’t be known until the Aug.3 trade deadline has come and gone.Such is the state of play when it comes to the Dodgers’ catching situation now.Three-time All-Star Will Smith has been out since the first week of June with a confounding neck injury, one that continues to limit him to minimal activity.

While the Dodgers expect him to return this season, his status will remain unclear at best when the deadline arrives in a couple weeks, forcing the front office to decide whether to hedge by getting another backstop.This is where Rushing comes in.The 25-year-old slugger started the season swinging a hot bat before succumbing to a hot temper during a subsequent slump at the plate.Those swings epitomized the growth process and learning curve that the former second-round pick was experiencing.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Home delivery: Sign up here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!It’s also made his cameo as Smith’s replacement in the lineup an important opportunity to prove himself — and prevent the Dodgers from trading for someone else who could supplant him on the depth chart come the playoffs (as happened last year when the team got Ben Rortvedt at the deadline).“We expect that Will is going to be back,” manager Dave Roberts told the California Post’s Dylan Hernandez this week.But if not … “We feel good with Dalton,” he added.Lately, that faith had seemingly been tested.A bat-first catcher who has had well-documented growing pains behind the plate, Rushing also fou...