Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, July 20, 2025 – Dodgers catcher Will Smith in the dugout during a game against tthe Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Dodgers have not only built their dynasty through veteran star additions at the top of the roster.
The team has also pulled from a deep collection of roster reinforcements at the lower levels of the organization, constantly restocking with young stars as they promote emerging players or trade away top prospects for talent from other teams.
Now the team has reloaded its lower level with a new catcher, who could one day become a key piece for the big-league roster as its veteran backstop endures a concerning injury setback.
Los Angeles Dodgers Acquire Promising Catcher After Cut From National League Rival St Louis Cardinals
As the Dodgers look to capture a third-straight World Series championship, they’ve had to navigate recent games without one of their most important players available.
“It was a rough Wednesday night for the Dodgers as they let a five-run lead slip away in a 9-8 loss to the Pirates at PNC Park, and a day later, three-time All-Star catcher Will Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, with neck inflammation,” John Perrotto reported for MLB.com. “Smith missed his fourth consecutive game because of the neck injury, leaving Dalton Rushing as the club’s only healthy catcher.”
Immediately after that setback, the Dodgers placed rookie Rushing in the everyday role and the team called up Chuckie Robinson from Triple-A Oklahoma City to serve as the backup.
Then the team acquired a former St. Louis Cardinals farmhand to fill in at the lower levels, as the official transaction log indicated it had signed Chase Adkison and activated him at High-A Great Lakes.
That move came quickly after the St. Louis Cardinals cut ties with the 24-year-old catcher who they signed out of college in 2023.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ New Backstop Receives Fresh Opportunity After St Louis Cardinals Cut
While Adkison never reached the major leagues with St. Louis, he brings valuable upper-minors catching experience at a time when the Dodgers need organizational depth behind Rushing.
The signing also represents a fresh start for a player who had spent years working through the challenges of professional baseball development before being cut by the Cardinals.
“It’s a constant game of adjustments,” Adkison said of his professional journey after signing with the Cardinals, according to Andrew Ottosson of the Idaho County Free Press. “Every day you’re working on something new with your swing, you’re constantly striving to be stronger, faster, be in better physical shape. It’s really just everything being more well-rounded, just all around, defensively, offensively.”
Those adjustments now continue in a new organization that could be looking for a new big-league backstop sooner or later.