Cubs’ Nico Hoerner says he wishes he had confronted Dodgers C Dalton Rushing for calling teammate a ‘fat f***’
Dalton Rushing doesn’t look like in MLB to make pals.
It’s not usually that you simply see the backup catcher of the defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers on this case, take up the resident villain function. Yet Rushing appears to have antagonized an opponent in three straight sequence.
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On Saturday, it was the Chicago Cubs. The incident in query got here within the third inning with Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner at bat, when a pitch within the grime from Roki Sasaki allowed Cubs backup catcher Miguel Amaya to take second base.
In the aftermath of Amaya beating Rushing’s throw to second, the cameras caught Rushing saying… one thing that led to a shocked response from Hoerner. Some lip-readers at residence interpreted Rushing as calling Amaya a “fat f***.”
The Dodgers gained that sport 12-4.
All of that hung within the air till Tuesday, when Hoerner went on the Spiegel & Holmes Show and confirmed that Rushing certainly referred to as Amaya a “fat f***.”
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His response:
“I wish that I had confronted him a little more directly, to be honest. I was pretty back and in the middle of my taken at-bat. It was just kind of a strange thing to experience. So yeah, I felt a little weird about that.
“I’m not saying I ought to have like tackled the man or something. But yeah, simply a little taken again. Just on the finish of the day, you simply wish to have your teammates’ backs.”
Not that any of this is important, but we’re just going to note that Rushing is listed at 6-foot, 220 pounds, and Amaya is listed at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds.
For those keeping score at home, here’s what has happened with Rushing in the Dodgers’ previous two series:
All of that occurred in the span of a week.
Who is Dalton Rushing?
Rushing was the Dodgers’ first player taken in the 2022 MLB Draft, with the 40th overall pick in the second round. He was soon making top-100 prospect lists and would’ve likely gotten run as a starting catcher a couple of years ago in most organizations.
However, Rushing is a member of the Dodgers, who has one of the best catchers in the sport. Will Smith. So Rushing has worked only as a backup since his MLB debut in May 2025.
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He didn’t impress much last season, slashing only .204/.258/.324 with 4 homers and 58 strikeouts in 155 plate appearances, and he had only one trip to the plate in the 2025 playoffs. This season has been different, as Rushing has posted a .348/.423/.848 line with seven homers — second on the Dodgers — in only 52 plate appearances.
That success has seen him get more playing time recently, with starts at catcher in five of the Dodgers’ past 11 games. He has also been the designated hitter in the two games Shohei Ohtani you could have operated as a pitcher solely, which means the crew likes Rushing’s bat essentially the most off the bench.
Obviously, we’re a good distance from confirming Rushing as a star within the making after a good April, however he is definitely getting his identify on the market.
