Dodgers Send Dalton Rushing Warning After Viral Comments

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing Turns Heads With NSFW Comments

Backup catcher Dalton Rushing is slashing a stellar .340/.415/.830 with seven home runs in 16 games with the Dodgers so far this season, but he’s also been the focus of some viral moments in that brief debut.

Rushing has turned heads for accusing the Colorado Rockies of picking up his team’s pitches, then he appeared to hurl an expletive at San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Jung Hoo Lee as he looked to be injured, and then he appeared to use another expletive to describe Chicago Cubs’ catcher Miguel Amaya.

After that moment against the Cubs, infielder Nico Hoerner told media that he wished he had confronted Rushing directly, suggesting the 25-year-old catcher is quickly overstepping the bounds of good taste, at least among rival big-leaguers.

MORE FROM FORBESMets’ Bo Bichette Offers 4-Word Response On Returning To Blue Jays RoleBy Peter Chawaga

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dave Roberts Sends Dalton Rushing Message After ‘Reckless’ Comments

And as Rushing’s extracurricular comments get some extra attention, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered a warning about how the viral attention can become a detriment to the team.

“He’s bringing stuff onto himself he doesn’t need to bring on,” Roberts told the New York Post’s Jack Harris. “There’s a responsibility to not be reckless because everything is captured.”

Roberts added that he doesn’t want to “take the fire” out of Rushing. But as the young slugger earns just as much attention for his competitive attitude as he does for his production at the plate, Rushing does seem aware that he should lighten up on the viral commentary.

“You want guys to hate playing against you because of the player that you are and how great you are on a baseball field. Not because of the verbalized things you say,” Rushing said, per Harris. “There’s things I’m going to change.”

Among the potential things he might look to change, though, the Dodgers are surely hoping Rushing won’t do anything that hurts his offense.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com