CHICAGO — A minor addendum to their trade deadline to-do list, catching depth became a lot more important for the Dodgers on the final day before the deadline.
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Dalton Rushing went on the injured list on Monday with a sprained right elbow. With Will Smith still weeks away from returning from the inflamed disc in his neck that has sidelined him for two months, the Dodgers acquired two catchers before the deadline – two very familiar catchers.
They acquired Ben Rortvedt for the third time in the past year, sending right-hander Chayce McDermott to the New York Mets. McDermott was designated for assignment last week. Rortvedt was playing in Triple-A for the Mets.
And they also re-acquired Hunter Feduccia from the Tampa Bay Rays. Rortvedt and Feduccia were part of the same three-team trade among the Dodgers, Rays and Cincinnati Reds at last year’s deadline.
“The No. 1 goal was to build some depth, and the ability to add two guys that we’ve had before made it really exciting for us to be able to do, knowing that they’re both really good defensive receivers, and our pitchers are going to feel good with them behind the plate,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said.
Rushing was a late scratch from Sunday’s starting lineup with a sore right arm. He did not travel with the team to Chicago, instead staying in Los Angeles and having his right elbow examined. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the exam detected a “mild” strain in the elbow. There was no ligament tear, according to Roberts.
“Dalton said that he’s had bouts of this in the past. So that’s, I guess, a good thing that he’s kind of dealt with it,” Roberts said. “I don’t think anyone knows how long it’s going to be. But I still don’t feel that it’ll be that long.”
Chuckie Robinson was promoted for the “short term,” Roberts said. Rortvedt is expected to join the team on Tuesday with Feduccia arriving at some point this week.
Rortvedt stepped in as the Dodgers’ primary catcher briefly late last season when Smith was sidelined by a hairline fracture in his right hand.
“I think given what Ben did for us last year, us knowing him, him knowing a lot of our guys, being more of a guy that’s been around for a while, I could see him taking a lion’s share for the foreseeable future,” Roberts said.
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The Dodgers sent Triple-A outfielder Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money to the Rays in the deal to re-acquire Feduccia and minor-league right-hander Jacob Kmatz. Feduccia batted .234 with two home runs in 60 games with the Rays this season. Kmatz was 5-2 with a 2.89 ERA combined between Class-A and Double-A this year.
PITCHER ACQUIRED
In a deadline deal with less immediate impact, the Dodgers acquired left-hander Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Triple-A right-hander Carlos Duran.
An All-Star with the Kansas City Royals in 2025, the 28-year-old Bubic has not pitched since mid-May – not unlike Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow – with both elbow and shoulder issues. Bubic is currently on the 60-day IL (so he will not have to be added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster) and shut down his throwing program in July after receiving a cortisone injection in his shoulder.
“Biggest thing with Kris is we know what he’s capable of. He’s been an All-Star and able to be a dominant force both out of the ’pen and as a starter,” Gomes said. “I think right now we’re thinking about him and looking at his progression. He just threw a bullpen yesterday, I believe his first one (since the injection). So he’s going to start to build up to ’pens and some live BPs, and then go out and see what that looks like.
“Our plan right now is to run him out as a reliever and just get him healthy and try to get him back to that version prior to this year, get him fully healthy.”
This is the second time the Dodgers have traded Duran. They sent him to the A’s for outfielder Esteury Ruiz in April 2025 and he made his major-league debut, pitching one-third of an inning in May. He re-signed with the Dodgers in the offseason and had spent this year in Triple-A, going 3-2 with a 3.38 ERA for Oklahoma City.
Bubic is eligible for free agency this winter. In seven seasons with the Royals, he was 22-38 with a 4.14 ERA, primarily as a starter. He made the American League All-Star team in 2025 while going 8-7 with a 2.55 ERA in 20 starts.
ALSO
Right-hander Wyatt Mills was designated for assignment and Jonathan Hernandez was promoted from Triple-A.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (LHP Tarik Skubal, 7-5, 2.79 ERA) at Cubs (RHP Javier Assad, 6-1, 3.75 ERA), Tuesday, 5:05 p.m., SportsNet LA, TBS, 570 AM
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