Dalton Rushing, a rookie catcher for the Dodgers, has stirred controversy with multiple incidents this season, including derogatory comments and aggressive plays. His actions have drawn criticism from players and fans alike, raising questions about his reputation in Major League Baseball.
After a game against the Rockies, in which the Dodgers lost 4-3, Rushing appeared to accuse the Rockies of nefarious acts. "I think it's odd that some of those hitters that do what they do, they go up there and they're on the first pitch that was thrown," Rushing said. "So, it's a little fishy but I'll wear it."
Dalton Rushing said it was ‘a little fishy’ how the #Rockies hitters were swinging at the first pitch and connecting. Rushing found it very odd.
Dalton Rushing accused Rockies hitters of being 'fishy' after a game, suggesting their first-pitch success was suspicious.
Dalton Rushing appeared to insult Jung Hoo Lee by saying 'f*** 'em' after Lee injured himself during a play at home plate.
After being hit by Logan Webb, Dalton Rushing retaliated with a hard slide into second base, which was criticized as 'not good baseball' by Giants player Luis Arraez.
Dalton Rushing was caught on camera calling Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya a 'fat f***' after throwing him out at second base.
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“I think they had a good game plan as an opposing team, and maybe I pitched into their game plan. As far as calling pitches, I'm not… pic.twitter.com/ftqnzlRC92
— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) April 19, 2026 Rushing did credit the Rockies with a good game plan and said he could've done a better job at calling pitches. Still, the comments opened eyes across the league.
In the first game of the year against the Giants, Rushing appeared to say "f\\\*'em" while walking off the field after Jung Hoo Lee seemed to injure himself on a slide into home plate.
Dodgers vs Giants rivalry may be back. Dalton Rushing appeared to have said“FUCK EM” after seeing Jung Hoo Lee possibly injured in a play at home plate 👀 pic.twitter.com/olx8xQg7j7
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 22, 2026
Two days later, Logan Webb hit Rushing in what might have been an act of retaliation, but Rushing responded with a hard slide into Willy Adames at second base on a double-play ball.
Is there a more unlikable player in baseball than Dalton Rushing lol pic.twitter.com/Zfex6QSLwv
— trev (@BayAreaTrev) April 23, 2026 After the game, which was the last of the three-game series, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez called out Rushing for the slide. "It's not good baseball, it's not clean baseball there," he said. "It's not good baseball."
Luis Arraez believes Dalton Rushing's takeout slide in the sixth was a dirty play pic.twitter.com/Dpl7fXXo5R
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) April 23, 2026
After throwing Miguel Amaya out at second on a stolen base attempt, Rushing is caught on camera calling Amaya a "fat f\\\*".
Dodgers fans worried about PCA yet Dalton Rushing is the biggest clown in MLB. Here he is calling Miguel Amaya a “fat f\*ck” after he gets stolen on. Watch Nico afterwards pic.twitter.com/Iniojk3Hv7
— 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖔𝖗 𝕻𝖎𝖑𝖘 (@TheConnorPils) April 26, 2026 A few days later, Nico Hoerner, who was at the plate when the incident occurred, noted that he wished he said something to Rushing in the moment. "I wish I had confronted him," Hoerner said. "I was pretty taken aback." Nico Hoerner said "yeah" when asked if fans were correct in lipreading that Dalton Rushing called Miguel Amaya a fat fuck pic.twitter.com/pJLve3plzd
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball\_) April 29, 2026
In a game against the Marlins, Rushing is given an automatic strike three after he was unable to get a timeout during an at-bat.
Dalton Rushing asked for timeout by saying “timeout please” to the home plate umpire. The umpire didn’t hear and he struck out on a pitch clock violation that ended the inning. Rushing was not happy at all 😬 pic.twitter.com/yzn09jfcYq
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 29, 2026
In a story from The Athletic, Rushing discussed his perceived reputation and how he doesn't want to change the way he plays the game. "I think guys have started to like, give me the label of (villain)," Rushing told The Athletic. "I just think that's me competing at the highest level and not allowing any outside source to kind of get in my way." While Rushing isn't looking to be a villain on the field, his main focus is winning with the Dodgers. "I don't want guys to look at me as a bad guy on and off the field," Rushing said. "But at the same time, I'm not going to change my game. I'm going to play the same way that I have. I'm going to control the things that are said."
Rushing was born in Memphis, Tenn., and attended high school in Brighton, Tenn. He played college baseball at Louisville. He was selected in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft. **MORE:**Revisiting the Shohei Ohtani gambling scandal