Dodgers Catcher Dalton Rushing Diagnosed With Partial UCL Tear

Just when you thought the Los Angeles Dodgers had cornered the market on pitching injuries, the elbow grim reaper has decided to start coming for their position players.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Dodgers catching prospect Dalton Rushing has been diagnosed with a partial UCL tear.

"MLB Trade Rumors reported the diagnosis."

For a pitcher, a UCL tear is a devastating but standard occupational hazard. For a catcher, it is a catastrophic mechanical failure. Throwing a baseball 127 feet from a crouch with a runner barreling down the line is basically the entire job description, and you cannot do that with a frayed rubber band in your elbow.

The "partial" part of the diagnosis is where the real torture begins. It is the medical equivalent of a check engine light that you hope goes away if you just park the car for a few weeks.

Rushing and the Dodgers now have to play the worst guessing game in sports. Do they shut him down, try the rest-and-rehab route, and pray the ligament heals? Or do they just bite the bullet, opt for surgery, and accept that his timeline is completely cooked?

This is a brutal blow for a guy who was supposed to be a massive piece of the Dodgers' future, either as a cornerstone behind the plate or as premium currency at the trade deadline. Los Angeles has the depth to absorb the hit at the major league level, but losing a prospect of Rushing's caliber alters the organizational math.

Now we wait for the inevitable second opinion. If he tries to rehab it, every throw to second base for the next year is going to feel like a high-stakes gamble. If he goes under the knife, we will not see him throwing a baseball in anger until next summer.