The New York Yankees have been scouring the market for a reliable catcher as the 2026 season reaches its midpoint, and the name Dalton Rushing keeps surfacing in internal discussions.
Rushing, a 24‑year‑old backstop in the Los Angeles Dodgers system, has posted a .269 average with ten home runs across 57 games this year, numbers that have sparked optimism among Yankees scouts about a potential long‑term solution behind the plate.
The Dodgers, however, appear poised to keep Will Smith as their primary catcher, a player locked into a multi‑year contract that makes Rushing expendable, especially with a deep outfield that already accommodates stars such as Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández.
Austin Wells, the Yankees’ current starter at catcher, is batting just .151 this season, a performance that has intensified the pressure on the front office to explore upgrades before the trade deadline.
Sources close to the club indicate that New York’s front office has begun informal talks with Los Angeles, weighing a package that could include prospects or cash considerations, while also keeping an eye on free‑agent catcher Ryan Jeffers, who will be eligible for a new deal after the season.
Implications for October
If the deal materializes, the Yankees would gain a defensively adept catcher with several years of club control, allowing the team to shift resources toward other areas of need while maintaining flexibility through 2031.
Veteran insider Ken Rosenthal has noted that a trade for Rushing would not only address the Yankees’ defensive needs but also provide a versatile bat off the bench, a factor that could prove decisive in a postseason push.