With the recent injuries to Will Smith, the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ catching depth has been tested, but luckily for LA, Dalton Rushing has stepped up in a big way by picking up the slack.
However, beyond Dalton Rushing, things get much thinner at the catching position. The good news for Los Angeles is that they haven’t missed a beat with Will Smith absent from the lineup. Los Angeles is currently taking on the San Diego Padres in a four-game series, and the Dodgers are going for the sweep on Sunday evening.
Before the series finale against the Padres, the Dodgers announced an interesting roster move.
Dodgers Select New Catcher to MLB Roster
GettySACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 30: Manager Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers salutes the fans has he walks off the field after the Dodgers defeated the Athletics 9-3 at Sutter Health Park on June 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. The victory was Roberts’s 1000th has a manager. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
During the Padres-Dodgers series, Los Angeles quietly announced that its selecting the contract of catcher Eliezer Alfonzo.
His MLB.com transactions page wrote: “Los Angeles Dodgers selected the contract of C Eliezer Alfonzo from Oklahoma City Comets.”
Los Angeles also optioned catcher Chuckie Robinson to the minors, which was the corresponding move.
Once Alfonzo enters a game with the Dodgers, it will be his MLB debut.
MLBTradeRumors.com’s Mark Polishuk wrote (on 7/4): “Alfonzo will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in a game. The 26-year-old is a veteran of nine minor league seasons, all in the Tigers farm system before he joined the Dodgers as a minor league free agent this past winter. The catcher will continue his family’s baseball history, as his father Eliezer Sr. was a big league backstop with four different clubs from 2006-11.”
The Dodgers Right Now
The Los Angeles Dodgers have simply been rolling through their MLB schedule over the past month or so.
After defeating the Padres over the past three days, the Arizona Diamondbacks are now in 2nd place in the NL West. However, they are still looking up to the Dodgers, who hold a 14-game lead in the division and have shown no signs of slowing down.
Everyone understands that the Dodgers are the most complete team in baseball, but when Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman are all being very productive team at the plate, the lineup is just very hard to keep down for long.
As for the Alfonzo selection, it will be interesting to see if he gets a start at some point soon, as he could end up taking over for Chuckie Robinson as the Dodgers backup catcher for now.
Los Angeles Dodgers Quietly Announce Interesting Roster Move During Padres Series