LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers backup catcher Dalton Rushing had surgery to repair the partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Wednesday.
Rushing's surgery was expected to be a hybrid internal brace procedure. His timeline to return to catching is nine months, and he is expected back as a hitter well before then.
Rushing took strides forward in his second big league season, when he hit .246 with a .788 OPS and 12 homers, initially backing up Will Smith and later assuming starting catching duties when Smith was sidelined for months due to neck inflammation.
But Rushing's elbow flared up on him in early August, landing him on the IL. He was activated when rosters expanded on Sept. 1, serving as a hitter only while working through a throwing progression on the side. He went back on the IL after just appearing in just four games after reaggravating his elbow while throwing, which ruled him out from catching for the rest of the season.
Because hitting did not make Rushing feel worse, the Dodgers did not shut him down until their season was over. He was a distant option to be the team's lefty bat off the bench in the postseason, although L.A. opted to carry top prospect Josue De Paula on its NLDS and NLCS rosters instead.
If all goes as planned with Rushing's rehab, he would be available to catch around mid-to-late July. That means that Hunter Feduccia, whom the Dodgers reacquired at the Trade Deadline in the wake of Rushing's injury, is likely to begin next season as Smith's backup.
Before Rushing is cleared to catch, the Dodgers will also have to decide whether it is worth carrying him as a hitter only on the big league roster -- where he is blocked by Shohei Ohtani at DH -- or if he would be better served getting regular at-bats at Triple-A Oklahoma City in that time.