One mailbag is not enough for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Thank you to all who submitted questions, several of which reflected the bigger existential questions around the juggernaut. Here is Part 1.
Now, on to the second part of this mailbag.
Some of the following questions may have been edited for length and clarity.
So far this season, Dalton Rushing has been frequently quoted. His responses have been fiery at times, as shown in the comments from the Rockies game as reported in The Athletic. Is this in line with “The Dodger Way,” and is he being coached to reduce making headline statements? Will this sit well with his future with the Dodgers? — Randolph B.
This is a layered question, with a caveat: Just because someone isn’t quoted doesn’t mean they don’t speak to reporters. Catchers are also just a common person to speak to postgame — after all, they can give insight as to what happened in a game offensively and on the pitching front. That is exacerbated at times by the fact that three of the six starters in the Dodgers’ rotation speak Japanese and therefore aren’t as accessible as their teammates. Rushing has been behind the plate for three of Roki Sasaki’s starts this season, for example.
It also helps Rushing’s case that he’s gotten off to a hot start at the plate. There have been plenty of reasons to talk to him, and selfishly, as a reporter, he’s an interesting person to talk to.
In that vein, it would be nice if no one told him to be more boring. “The Dodger Way,” as you put it, typically is fine with this — so long as you do your job between the lines, it doesn’t matter as much what you do otherwise. They encourage rookies and young players to be themselves and try to foster a welcoming environment.
Yeah, Rushing’s “fishy” comment made the rounds this week. The Rockies even took it and turned it into a celebration. I don’t think Rushing’s confidence (and the quotes that come from it) are all that much of a surprise. Just take Freddie Freeman’s answer from when I asked him about how Rushing could gain confidence from his two-homer day in Toronto this month.
“I don’t know if Dalton lacks confidence, Fabs,” Freeman said with a laugh. “That’s a beautiful asset.”
Rushing can obviously hit at a major league level, and he isn’t getting regular playing time anytime soon. Where do we go from here? — Mon
This, along with Sasaki’s development, is one of the biggest storylines for the Dodgers’ future that has very little to do with 2026.
The fact that it has little to do with 2026 means the Dodgers can play this out, which they likely will do. They could move him for the right package. They could hold onto him and incrementally boost his playing time to keep Will Smith healthy. They could move to more of a timeshare. They could try either Smith or Rushing (or both) at a different position to see if there’s a path for both to be in the lineup at the same time.
It’s a major benefit to have two starting-caliber catchers on the roster, so the Dodgers won’t just give that luxury up.
It’s a boring answer, but “kick the can down the road” is typically the logical course for the Dodgers trying to keep their options open. They never need to do anything with how they’ve constructed this roster.
Without an outfielder injury, is James Tibbs III blocked from a call-up? — Julio A.
When do the Dodgers call up Tibbs? — Reed R.
James Tibbs III looks like a revelation … in what (as of Wednesday) has amounted to 104 career plate appearances above Double A. That doesn’t mean this is a flash in the pan, but remember that he needs to keep developing. Tibbs had a torrid second half of last year after arriving via trade, which is noteworthy. The organization sees him as a potential everyday player and values his talent.
The Dodgers have also been up front that there has never been a bigger gap between Triple A and the majors, especially when you’re trying to break in as part of such an accomplished and veteran-laden lineup. He’s not blocked, necessarily, but it would take a clear runway (likely a long-term injury or surprise trade) to open up a real chance worth giving to Tibbs.
It’s a quandary many Dodgers prospects face when on the verge of the big leagues. They have benefitted from the Dodgers’ player development system to get to this point, but in many ways, their more immediate opportunities would be elsewhere. (To avoid overreactions or aggregations, this is not saying the Dodgers are looking to move Tibbs necessarily).
Justin Wrobleski has been essentially a two-pitch guy so far (four-seam fastball <50 percent, slider >40 percent). How sustainable is that if he stays in the rotation, and what else can he throw third time around an opposing lineup? — Mon
I asked Mark Prior that exact question after Wrobleski’s eight-inning start against the New York Mets.
“I mean, look, it’s still primarily two pitches,” Prior said that night. “We still need to flush out some other options potentially because the league will adjust, and they will make their adjustments, and then he’s got to be able to counter.”
Then Prior added what gives him confidence.
“I think it’s just the strike ability, strike throwing ability to be in the zone, to fill it up, attack,” Prior said. “All those things that you talk about, but it’s easier said than to actually go out there and do it against big league teams.”
Wrobleski’s last three starts have seen him throw a fastball or slider on 71.8 percent of pitches. It’s been effective, but he’s also registered seven total strikeouts over those 20 innings. Relying that much on batted balls can subject you to some blow-up outings down the line.
Wrobleski knows this. It was notable that he still tried to mix in some other pitches at Coors Field, even if he doesn’t use them all that much. His best chance at a viable third pitch might be his curveball; that pitch contains wrinkles, with Wrobleski throwing it between 73.5 mph and 76.9 mph to throw off timing. If you’re not going to miss bats, you have to miss barrels.
“You’ll see Shohei (Ohtani) out there, he’ll mix speeds with the curveball, and he’ll mix speeds with the slider,” Wrobleski said. “Obviously, I don’t have the big sweeper, the nasty curveball, but at the same time, I think you can learn from what he does with it to try and keep guys off balance.”
Whether Wrobleski remains a starter remains to be seen, but his mentality and relentless strike-throwing have unlocked some of the best performances of his career.
What would you rank as the top five pitches (not pitchers) within the Dodgers organization? Which of the various pitchers’ weapons do you think are most devastating for hitters? — Tae K.
This question rules, and I’m going to box myself in with some restrictions. For one, I’ll only choose one pitch per pitch type. I can only nominate one pitch per pitcher. All pitchers must currently be on the active roster (sorry, Blake Snell and Edwin Díaz, among others). Rather than rank the five, I want to construct an entire arsenal out of just five options.
Alex Vesia’s fastball
He doesn’t throw 100 mph like Edgardo Henriquez or Ohtani, and he doesn’t have the precise command that Yoshinobu Yamamoto possesses, but Vesia’s fastball is truly one-of-one because of its shape. It has a unique induced vertical break — or the ability to have “hop” or “ride” towards the plate. His IVB of 21.3 inches is nearly a whole inch better than the next-closest pitcher (Nick Pivetta, 20.4 inches), meaning his fastball can play at the top of the zone.
Yamamoto’s splitter
I thought about Sasaki’s forkball, but he hasn’t been effective enough to properly use the unicorn pitch. Ohtani has a nasty splitter, as well, but this feels like the best of Yamamoto’s pitches to include. The fact that he can sit at 91 mph with it with that kind of movement and the ability to make it look like a strike even when it’s not is lethal.
Tyler Glasnow’s curveball
Ohtani’s curveball has become a favorite of mine to watch. Will Klein’s stuff is electric, and his curveball is a big part of that. Glasnow’s curveball even has mixed reviews on models (it’s been worth -1 runs, according to Baseball Savant, though FanGraphs’ Stuff+ model has it as the best curveball on the staff).
It’s just a hammer of a pitch, and it’s telling whenever Glasnow can go into two-strike sequences where opposing hitters know the curve is coming and swing and miss anyway.
Ohtani’s slider/sweeper
Ohtani technically throws both, so this might be cheating. Blake Treinen’s sweeper and Tanner Scott’s revamped slider deserve at least an honorable mention. Glasnow’s throwing the slider less, but it’s still effective.
Still, let’s go with Ohtani, who essentially rode his fastball and sweeper a year ago to dominant results and has still used the sweeper more than any other secondary pitch so far in 2026. Everything he throws is nasty.
Henriquez’s sinker
Does he always know where it’s going? No. Does he miss enough bats with it? Likely not. But Henriquez throws gas and keeps the ball in the park — even when opposing hitters hit .320 against the sinker last year, they were all sinkers. There are reasons why Henriquez hasn’t put it all together yet, but that power sinker is why there are reasons to believe in him.