CHICAGO –– After the shockwave of Saturday’s trade for two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, Monday’s trade deadline came and went for the Dodgers with only a series of more subtle aftershocks.
The team added two familiar faces at catcher –– Ben Rortvedt from the Mets and Hunter Feduccia from the Rays –– while putting Dalton Rushing on the injured list with an elbow strain.
They bolstered their pitching staff with the acquisition of 2025 All-Star selection, but also currently injured left-hander, Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals, making him a late-season swingman option once he returns from elbow and shoulder problems.
Tarik Skubal of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks on prior to a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Monday, August 3, 2026, in Chicago, Illinois. (2026 Getty Images) Getty Images
They shook up their current pitching staff with an internal move, optioning Emmet Sheehan to triple-A after his latest clunker on Sunday.
And, most notably, they made no subtractions from their MLB roster, instead electing to hold onto Eric Lauer (who will retain his place in the starting rotation with Sheehan going down) and Alex Call (who remains with the club as a right-handed bat off the bench) despite exploring trades for each of them in recent days.
Rushing’s injury had the biggest implications on Monday’s deadline day activities.
After being scratched from Sunday’s lineup with elbow discomfort, the backup-turned-starter –– who has been filling in for Will Smith during his elongated absence with a neck injury –– did not join the Dodgers on their road trip to Chicago. Instead, he stayed back in Los Angeles for further evaluation on an injury that popped up during pregame catch the day before.
Roberts described the severity of Rushing’s injury as “mild,” and confident that the second-year slugger would return this season.
However, with both Smith and Rushing now out injured, the Dodgers scrambled to shore up their depth at the position.
Their solution: The reacquisition of two of their former players, getting Rortvedt from the Mets in exchange for recently DFA’d pitcher Chayce McDermott, and Feduccia from the Rays (along with minor-league reliever Jacob Kmatz) for triple-A outfielder Jack Suwinski and international bonus pool money.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing hits a three-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, July 31, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill
Roberts said Rortvedt is expected to join the active roster on Tuesday (Chuckie Robinson was called up in the interim for Monday’s game), while Feduccia will provide further organization depth.
The other big change Monday was Sheehan’s demotion to triple-A, which came on the heels of a 2 ⅔-inning, five-run start on Sunday that raised his season ERA to 5.29.
Roberts said the Dodgers wanted to give the 26-year-old right-hander a reset, amid his season-long struggles to find consistent mechanics this year.
As a result, Lauer wound up not only staying with the Dodgers, but also keeping his spot in their starting rotation, after previously being set to move into a bulk relief role in the wake of Skubal’s arrival.
Kris Bubic of the Kansas City Royals throws a pitch during the first inning at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in the Bronx, NY. (Corey Sipkin) Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
The Dodgers’ pitching staff also added some late-season depth in Bubic, who is on track to return to action around the end of August, according to a source with knowledge of his recovery. He has experience in his seven-year career as both a starter (including last year when he made the All-Star Game) and bulk reliever.
Call also survived a week of trade rumors, with the Dodgers ultimately deciding not (or, at least, failing to find a way) to flip him elsewhere for a potential prospect.
