Dodgers' Dalton Rushing opens up about favorite movie, players, and more ft. Interstellar, Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani

The Los Angeles Dodgers promoted top catching prospect Dalton Rushing to the 40-man roster from Triple-A Oklahoma City last month. He was called up as the team designated veteran Austin Barnes for assignment.

The Dodgers rookie, who made his MLB debut last month, gave insight into his major league experience with the reigning World Series champions so far. In a conversation with MLB Network, the rookie catcher also answered some off-field questions.

When asked about his favorite movie, Rushing named the critically acclaimed science fiction movie 'Interstellar' without hesitation.

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The catcher also talked about being behind the plate for Clayton Kershaw's start:

"Never in a million years did I ever think that I would catch Clayton Kershaw, but to be his first start of 2025. It was obviously special. Think of it's pretty cool I get to catch these guys, and it's like you've always like thought about it."

When asked about sharing the clubhouse with three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani, the rookie was in awe of the Japanese phenom.

"He's just a unicorn. Everything he does is a little different than everyone else. He's probably gonna go down as the best player to ever play baseball."

Clayton Kershaw disappointed after Austin Barnes was cut for Dalton Rushing

Although Austin Barnes served the Dodgers in a utility role with Will Smith being their everyday catcher, Barnes was the team's second longest-serving player.

Despite his limited role, Clayton Kershaw asserted his importance, sharing his disappointment over his departure.

"Yeah, it’s sad. Barnesy’s one of my best friends on or off the field, Kershaw said. "You won’t find a guy that competes better than Austin Barnes. He wanted to win more than anybody, and he always found a way, and he came up with some big moments for us throughout the years.

"I think a lot of people forget he was starting a lot of playoff games and winning a lot of games for us, getting big knocks. It’s no disrespect to Dalton. I know he deserves it, and he’s going to be a great player."

Rushing is batting .231 with a home run and seven RBI in 27 plate appearances heading into Wednesday's game against the Mets.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash