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Dodgers Activate Catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing in September Roster Expansion
The Los Angeles Dodgers activated catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing, along with left-hander Justin Wrobleski, and recalled infielder Alex Freeland as MLB rosters expanded to 28 players. To make room, the team optioned Alek Thomas and designated Ben Rortvedt for assignment. Smith returns after nearly three months with a neck injury, while Rushing is back from a slight UCL tear.
By Tertius News AI Desk4 distinct · 4 mastheads · 4 articlesVersion 3Coverage Published
Roster Moves Ahead of Cardinals Series
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a series of roster moves on Tuesday, activating catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing along with left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski from the injured list, and adding infielder Alex Freeland to the active roster. The moves came as MLB rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players at the start of September.
To make room on the roster, the Dodgers optioned outfielder Alek Thomas to Triple-A Oklahoma City and designated catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment, as reported by the Los Angeles Times and others.
Smith Returns After Extended Absence
Will Smith, a three-time All-Star, was activated after missing nearly three months due to a neck injury. He had been out since the first week of June, with what was initially believed to be a minor neck issue turning into a prolonged stint on the injured list. Sports Illustrated reported that Smith was scratched from the lineup on June 6 with neck inflammation and suffered multiple setbacks during his recovery.
Before the injury, Smith was hitting .249 with a career-low .720 OPS in his first 52 games this season, according to multiple reports. The New York Post noted that Smith will likely return to the top half of the Dodgers' lineup, and he will be backed up by Hunter Feduccia, who has hit .262 in 20 games this season.
Rushing Returns in Surprise Activation
Dalton Rushing's activation was widely described as a surprising move, as he had been on the injured list since early August with a slightly torn UCL in his elbow. Heavy. reported that he did not need surgery, and the Los Angeles Times noted he had started a throwing program.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated over the weekend that he wasn't necessarily expecting Rushing to be activated on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported. Roberts also said he didn't know if Rushing can catch again this season, as he progresses through his throwing program.
Rushing is not expected to catch while recovering, but he provides a left-handed bat off the bench, a role that could be valuable in the postseason. Before his injury, Rushing had been a significant contributor, hitting .253 with 12 home runs, 56 RBIs, and an .810 OPS, as reported by Heavy.
Additional Roster Additions
The Dodgers also activated left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who missed just over two weeks with a forearm injury. Sports Illustrated reported that Wrobleski is expected to move to the bullpen as a multi-inning reliever.
Infielder Alex Freeland was recalled from Triple-A, adding a left-handed bat as a switch hitter. The Los Angeles Times noted that Freeland playing second base could free up Tommy Edman to move to the outfield, improving lineup flexibility.
The Dodgers also optioned outfielder Alek Thomas to Triple-A and designated Ben Rortvedt for assignment. Rortvedt, who had been splitting catching duties with Hunter Feduccia while Smith and Rushing were out, was hitting .185 this season, according to the New York Post.
Top outfield prospect James Tibbs III will remain in Triple-A for the time being, as reported by Sports Illustrated. Tibbs, ranked the No. 5 outfielder and No. 7 prospect overall in the Dodgers' system per MLB Pipeline, has posted strong Triple-A numbers this season, slashing .295/.418/.547 with 27 home runs, 96 RBIs and an OPS of .965 across 124 games.
The roster moves come as the Dodgers look to bolster their lineup and pitching staff for the final stretch of the regular season and the postseason.
How each outlet told it
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Framing: The headline emphasizes the surprising nature of the injury move involving Dalton Rushing.
Facts Included:
The Dodgers activated catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing and LHP Justin Wrobleski from the injured list, and added IF Alex Freeland to the active roster.
To make room, the Dodgers optioned OF Alek Thomas and designated catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment.
Will Smith had been out since early June.
Dalton Rushing was out due to a slight UCL injury and did not need surgery.
Rushing has hit .253 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs, with an OPS of .810.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, 'I still think it’s unlikely but we’re still going through the process and I hope I’m wrong.'
Rushing had been a big part of the Dodgers' success before his injury.
Framing: The headline announces the Dodgers' roster activations, listing three player names without explicit evaluation. — Optimistic but measured, focusing on potential benefits while acknowledging challenges like Rushing's limited role.
Facts Included:
Will Smith was activated off the injured list after missing almost three months with an inflamed disc in his neck.
Dalton Rushing was activated off the injured list, returning from a slight tear in his elbow ligament.
The moves came on the day MLB rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players at the start of September.
The Dodgers called up infielder Alex Freeland, activated pitcher Justin Wrobleski, optioned Alek Thomas, and designated Ben Rortvedt for assignment.
Smith had been out since the first week of June, after what was initially believed to be a minor neck injury turned into a prolonged stint on the 60-day IL.
Rushing rejoins the Dodgers a little over a month after suffering his elbow injury, coming back from the IL without a minor-league rehab assignment.
Smith will be backed up by Hunter Feduccia.
Smith was hitting .249 with a career-low .720 OPS in his first 52 games this year.
Feduccia hit .262 in 20 games.
Rortvedt was DFA'd after batting .185.
Smith will likely return to the top half of the Dodgers' lineup.
Andy Pages has a broken hand.
The offense scored the fifth-fewest runs in the majors during a 13-14 slump in August.
Wrobleski missed two weeks with a forearm injury and will be a multi-inning reliever.
Rortvedt split time with Hunter Feduccia while Smith and Rushing were out.
The team decided to DFA Rortvedt because Feduccia has options and has played better offensively.
Tibbs is ranked No. 5 outfielder and No. 7 prospect overall in the Dodgers' system per MLB Pipeline.
Tibbs' Triple-A stats: .547 OPS? (Note: The article states 'slashing 547 with 27 home runs, 96 RBIs and an OPS of 965' but appears to omit batting average; I'll include the verbatim figure with the caution as in the text.)
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Dodgers activated catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing and left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski from the injured list, and added infielder Alex Freeland to the active roster.
ClaimSmith had been out since the first week of June, after what was initially believed to be a minor neck injury turned into a prolonged stint on the 60-day IL.
ClaimRushing rejoins the Dodgers a little over a month after suffering his elbow injury, coming back from the IL without a minor-league rehab assignment.
4 distinct · 4 mastheads · 4 articles consulted: Heavy., Los Angeles Times, New York Post, Sports Illustrated35 claims extractedVersion 3Written 2026-09-01