Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rays.
With Sunday's game beginning at 11:35 a.m. ET, Smith will get a well-deserved breather after he had started behind the plate in each of the Dodgers' last six games. Austin Barnes will step in at catcher, forming a battery with starting pitcher Gavin Stone.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Knocks in three runs Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith went 3-for-5 with a double and three RBI in Tuesday's 8-1 victory versus Atlanta.
Smith plated the game's first run with a single in the first inning and knocked in two more with a two-out double in the second. The 28-year-old had been in a mild slump coming into the contest, going 2-for-14 over his previous five games. As a whole, Smith has been among the league's most productive catchers on the campaign, slashing .310/.406/.552 with seven homers, 25 runs, 27 RBI and a stolen base. He's also drawn 21 walks and struck out just 12 times over 143 plate appearances, giving him a 1.75 BB/K -- the top mark among all major-leaguers with at least 100 trips to the dish.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: In lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith is in the Dodgers' lineup Tuesday versus Atlanta, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith took a Marcell Ozuna backswing to the head in Monday's series opener, but he played the entire game and ultimately checked out fine afterward. The star catcher is slashing .297/.399/.541 with seven home runs and 24 RBI in 31 games (138 plate appearances) this season for Los Angeles.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Smith will be on the bench for Saturday's game against the Cardinals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith has delivered his typically excellent performance at the plate this season, slashing .314/.406/.571 with seven homers in 28 games. He'll get a rest Saturday with Austin Barnes taking over behind the plate.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Gets breather Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the starting lineup Tuesday against the Twins.
Austin Barnes will take a turn behind the plate and bat ninth versus the Twins and right-hander Bailey Ober. Smith homered in Monday's series opener and is sitting on a stellar .323/.412/.613 batting line through 114 plate appearances this year.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Continues raking
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-6 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in Monday's victory over the Twins.
Smith and Max Muncy went back-to-back in the first inning to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Smith came around to score again on Muncy's second homer of the night in the third inning. The Dodgers' catcher is riding a six-game hitting streak and is in the midst of his best season, as he has a 1.025 OPS.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Padres.
Smith will get a chance to rest after starting and picking up hits in the first two games of the series against San Diego. Austin Barnes will be behind the plate for the Dodgers and hit ninth in the series finale.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Clubs sixth homer
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 8-1 win over the Brewers.
He went back-to-back with Freddie Freeman in the fourth inning to kick off the rout for the Dodgers. Smith has six hits in his last three games, with four of them going for extra bases (two doubles and two homers), and on the season the 28-year-old backstop is slashing a dazzling .325/.420/.625 with six long balls, 19 runs and 19 RBI through 22 contests.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Homers, collects three hits
Rotowire
Smith went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Tuesday's 6-2 victory over the Brewers.
Smith smoked a cutter from Eric Lauer for a solo shot in the third inning. The Dodgers' catcher has four multi-hit games and a .385/.485/.692 slash line in the month of May. Smith has struck out just six times this season and boasts a career-best 1.026 OPS in 2023.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Gets maintenance day
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Brewers, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Smith was probably overdue for a day off after he had started nine consecutive games at either catcher or designated hitter since returning from a concussion April 28. Austin Barnes will form a battery with starting pitcher Tony Gonsolin on Monday while Smith gets a breather for the series opener in Milwaukee.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Registers steal in win
Rotowire
Smith went 0-for-1 with three walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Padres.
Smith was effective despite not recording a hit for just the third time in his last nine games. The steal was Smith's first of the season, and he's never swiped more than three bags in a campaign, so he shouldn't be expected to run much. The catcher is slashing a solid .294/.400/.529 with four homers, 15 RBI, 17 runs scored and four doubles through 85 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Swats homer Monday
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-5 with a solo home run and an additional RBI in Monday's 13-4 rout of the Phillies.
Smith kicked off the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning, and he added an RBI single in the fourth. Since returning from a concussion Friday, the backstop has started four straight games, going 4-for-16 with two extra-base hits, four runs and three RBI over that span. Smith's eye at the plate has been extraordinarily keen this season, as he has struck out only five times while working eight walks over 67 plate appearances.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Scores twice in return
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-5 with two runs in a 7-3 win against the Cardinals on Friday.
Smith batted third as the Dodgers' designated hitter in his return from the injured list. He missed over two weeks while dealing with a concussion but didn't appear hampered at the plate Friday, putting the ball in play in each of his five plate appearances and reaching on an infield single in the fifth frame. Per Eric Stephen of SBNation.com, manager Dave Roberts suggested that Smith could DH again Saturday before potentially returning to backstop duties Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Activated Friday
Rotowire
Smith (concussion) will be activated off the 7-day concussion list Friday and be in the lineup as the designated hitter against the Cardinals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith hasn't played since April 12 while dealing with a concussion, but the All-Star backstop is ready to roll for the series against the Cardinals. He should return to catching duties for the Dodgers within the next few days.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: On track for Friday return
Rotowire
Smith (concussion) is expected to be activated from the injured list ahead of the Dodgers' game against the Cardinals on Friday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Manager Dave Roberts had said earlier this week that the catcher probably wouldn't be back until at least Saturday, but now the skipper says Smith will be in Friday's lineup at designated hitter as long as he is cleared and gets through live batting practice with no issues. Part of the reasoning for bringing him back a day earlier is that J.D. Martinez (back) is still banged up. Smith hasn't played since April 12 due to a concussion but has been symptom free for about a week.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Won't return just yet
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (concussion) won't be activated from the 7-day injured list until at least Saturday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
The Dodgers had previously considered activating Smith for Friday's series opener versus the Cardinals, but the 28-year-old backstop looks like he'll get at least a few more days to recover from the concussion before returning to action. The worst of the brain injury appears to be behind Smith at this point; he said he hasn't been experiencing any headaches since last Friday, and he's been able to do agility work, take batting practice and catch bullpen sessions within the past few days. He'll get some more live at-bats when the Dodgers return to Los Angeles on Friday, and if all goes well, Smith should be back in the lineup before the weekend comes to a close.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: May not be activated Friday
Rotowire
Smith (concussion) said Wednesday he's unsure if he'll be able to return from the 7-day injured list for Friday's game against the Cardinals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Though Smith traveled with the Dodgers to Pittsburgh and has been working out for the past few days, manager Dave Roberts has already ruled out the catcher from playing during the three-game series with the Pirates. Smith mentioned that the headaches he's been experiencing have been gone since Friday, but the Dodgers are still planning on being extra cautious with him before activating him. Even if Smith isn't back by Friday, the 28-year-old should be back behind the plate for Los Angeles in the coming days.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Goes through workout
Rotowire
Smith (concussion) threw to bases and took live batting practice Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
With his concussion symptoms abated, Smith has been ramping up workouts in his bid to return to the Dodgers' lineup. Assuming he gets through Wednesday's workout with no issues and bounces back fine, he could be back in action for this weekend's home series versus the Cardinals.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Advancing to live BP
Rotowire
Manager Dave Roberts said Smith (concussion) is slated to take live batting practice Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
After taking part in agility work Tuesday, Smith will take what appears to be another step forward in his recovery from a concussion by facing pitching. The Dodgers don't plan to activate Smith for the team's three-game series in Pittsburgh, but he could be ready to return from the 7-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener versus the Cardinals in Los Angeles.
... See More... See Less
Dodgers' Will Smith: Doing agility drills
Rotowire
Smith (concussion) went through agility drills Tuesday in Pittsburgh, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has already stated that Smith won't be activated during the team's three-game series against the Pirates that runs through Thursday, but it's a good sign the 28-year-old catcher is traveling with the team and now doing baseball activities. He could perhaps return from the 7-day injured list over the weekend.
