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Of course Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam in place of Shohei Ohtani as Dodgers DH
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- Of course Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam in place of Shohei Ohtani as Dodgers DH
Of course Dalton Rushing hit a grand slam in place of Shohei Ohtani as Dodgers DH appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
When news broke that Shohei Ohtani would only be pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers in their series finale against the New York Mets on Jackie Robinson Day , it allowed fans in New York to breathe a sigh of relief.
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Sure, Dalton Rushing had himself a tear during the Dodgers' East Coast road trip, scoring four runs on three homers over two games in place of usual starting catcher Will Smith , but there's no way he was a more lethal designated hitter than the four-time MVP, who won the award as a hitter-only in 2024, right?
Well, that theory held up okay until the eighth inning when, after getting a hit in the second, Rushing blasted an absolute dinger deep into the stands with the bases loaded, adding four more runs and another homer to his already stacked April resume.
Initially drafted in the second round of the Louisville, finding major league playing time for Rushing has been challenging for the Dodgers, what with Smith having signed a ten-year, $140 million contract with the team back in 2024. Rushing gave left field a try for a time in the minors and is a potential reserve at first base, too, but considering how infrequently Freddie Freeman misses games, that's only worth a few starts over a 162-game season.
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And yet, if Rushing continues to hit for power and efficiency for the Dodgers in reserve duty, Dave Roberts has to find a way to get him on the field more often, be that at catcher, first, or even as the DH when Ohtani pitches, which is good for once about every six games, even when Blake Snell returns in May.
Related: Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani shares perfect reaction to Dalton Rushing's big night
Related: Watch Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani reach 100 mph to strike out Mets' Francisco Lindor
