Smith (wrist) is starting behind home plate and batting sixth against the Pirates on Friday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith injured his left wrist during Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Cubs while tagging Ian Happ at home plate in the sixth. Austin Barnes got the start Wednesday, but after Thursday's off day, Smith has been cleared to return to the lineup for Friday's series opener. Smith has started the season slashing .350/.453/.567 with one stolen base, eight runs scored, three home runs and 15 RBI in 75 plate appearances.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Nursing sore wrist
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Cubs after sustaining a left wrist injury in Tuesday's 11-10 extra-inning loss, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith sustained the injury while tagging out Ian Happ at the plate in the sixth inning Tuesday, though the issue didn't stop him from hitting a double in his next at-bat in the top of the seventh and playing the final four frames behind the plate. The 30-year-old backstop apparently didn't experience any soreness until waking up Wednesday morning, but he isn't too concerned about his availability moving forward. Austin Barnes will draw the start at catcher Wednesday, but Smith expects to be ready to start Friday's series opener versus the Pirates following a team day off Thursday.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Sitting out Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Cubs, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith homered and reached base three times in Tuesday's extra-innings loss to the Cubs, but he'll get a breather in Wednesday's series finale. Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth for the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Sensational start continues Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, an additional RBI and a walk in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Cubs.
Smith launched a homer, his third of the year, in the sixth inning to cut into Chicago's lead and make it a 7-5 game. The hard-hitting backstop does receive the occasional day off, but he's been sensational at the dish early in 2025. Smith is slashing .350/.453/.567 with four doubles, 15 RBI, eight runs scored and one stolen base through 75 trips to the plate, and his RBI upside in fantasy should remain among the elites in a star-studded Dodgers lineup.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Out of Sunday's lineup
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith went 0-for-6 with a walk, an RBI and three strikeouts while starting the first two games of the series, and he'll take a breather for Sunday's finale. Austin Barnes will step in behind the plate to catch for righty Tyler Glasnow.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Resting Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Rockies on Wednesday, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
Smith will take a seat Wednesday while Austin Barnes starts behind home plate and bats ninth against Rockies right-hander German Marquez. Smith has gone 6-for-12 with one home run and five RBI over his last three games.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Clubs second homer
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Rockies.
The backstop took Ryan Feltner deep in the third inning, driving the first pitch he saw over the fence in left field. Smith has reeled off three straight multi-hit performances, and through 16 games on the season he's slashing .367/.475/.551 with two homers, one steal, six runs and 12 RBI.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the Dodgers' starting lineup against the Cubs on Saturday.
Austin Barnes will start behind home plate and bat in the ninth spot against Cubs right-hander Ben Brown. Smith has gone 3-for-17 with three walks, two RBI and seven strikeouts over his last five games.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Day off Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest versus the Nationals.
It's a routine day off for Smith, who has now started 10 of 13 games this season. Austin Barnes will catch and bat ninth for the Dodgers on Tuesday.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against Philadelphia.
Smith's eight-game hitting streak was broken up by an 0-for-2 performance Friday, though he still managed to draw two walks. Austin Barnes will take his place behind home plate Saturday and bat ninth.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Goes deep for first time in 2025
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Saturday in a 7-3 victory versus the Tigers.
Smith homered to left field in the sixth inning for his first long ball of the campaign. The veteran catcher is off to a strong start to the season, slashing .417/.588/.750 through five contests. He's knocked in three runs and posted a 5:3 BB:K during that stretch.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Idle Friday
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the lineup for Friday's game against the Tigers, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
After collecting a base hit in each of the Dodgers' first three regular-season games while drawing five walks, Smith will get a breather Friday. His absence will allow Austin Barnes to make his first start of the year behind the plate while batting ninth.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Reaches four times in opener
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-2 with an RBI and three walks in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Cubs in Tokyo, Japan.
Smith batted cleanup in the Dodgers' season opener due to both Mookie Betts (illness) and Freddie Freeman (rib) sitting out. The backstop came through with a single to score a run in the fifth frame and walked in three of his other four plate appearances. Smith has consistently demonstrated a good eye at the plate during his career, as he's registered a walk rate over nine percent and a strikeout rate below 20 percent each of the past three campaigns.
Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run Thursday in a Cactus League win over the Rangers.
Smith got a late start to spring action due to a lingering ankle issue, and he exited Tuesday's game against Cincinnati after being hit in the knee by a pitch. However, the All-Star backstop appears to have avoided a significant injury on the HBP, as he started at catcher Thursday and took Caleb Boushley deep to left field in the fourth inning. Smith posted a career-worst .760 OPS over 544 regular-season plate appearances last season, but he contributed 20 home runs and 75 RBI and continues to be regarded as one of fantasy's most reliable catchers.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Back in action Thursday
Rotowire
Smith (knee) will start at catcher and bat sixth in Thursday's Cactus League contest versus the Rangers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith was removed from Tuesday's game against the Reds after being hit on the left knee by a pitch, but his exit was deemed precautionary and he's back out there following a day of rest. The bigger worry for the 29-year-old catcher is an ankle injury suffered last year that lingered into camp this spring, although it's not expected to affect Smith's Opening Day availability.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Knee injury not serious
Rotowire
Manager Dave Roberts said after Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Reds that Smith's (knee) removal was precautionary, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith exited the game after getting hit in the left knee by a pitch, though the team isn't concerned about it, and Roberts added that Smith wasn't going to stay in the game for more than another inning anyway. The 29-year-old backstop may get a day off to recover from any lingering soreness, but his Opening Day availability hasn't changed.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Exits after HBP
Rotowire
Smith was removed from Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Reds after getting hit in the left knee by a pitch, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Tack on another lower-body injury for Smith, who just made his spring debut last week after beginning camp behind schedule due to a bone bruise in his ankle. He can be considered day-to-day for now, though the Dodgers will presumably take a closer look at him to confirm he didn't suffer any serious damage.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Ankle issue deemed bone bruise
Rotowire
Smith has been dealing with a bone bruise in his ankle since last June, but he doesn't think the issue has affected his swing, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith rolled his ankle against the Yankees in a game last summer while trying to break up a double play, but the issue didn't lead to him missing any time. However, Smith's offensive numbers took a nosedive after the incident, as he batted just .215 with five home runs over 74 games across the remainder of the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts suggested Saturday that the ankle issue may have been at least partly to blame for the All-Star catcher's dropoff, stating, "I do believe the foot was kind of impeding the swing." Due to the lingering effects of the bone bruise -- which he has stated mainly affects him when he runs -- Smith didn't make his Cactus League debut this season until Friday, when he went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts while starting behind the plate. There doesn't seem to be any concern that Smith is in danger of missing any regular-season time due to the injury, though it's worth noting that general manager Brandon Gomes implied that the Dodgers' depth could lead to more off days for Smith in 2025, stating, "Having a really deep lineup assuming we're healthy allows you to potentially give him a day here and there where maybe we wouldn't have in the past."
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Making spring debut Friday
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Smith (ankle) will make his Cactus League debut Friday versus the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Per Vassegh, Shohei Ohtani (elbow/shoulder) will be making his spring debut Friday as the Dodgers' designated hitter, so Smith looks poised to handle his normal catching duties in his first start of the spring rather than being eased back in a non-defensive role. The Dodgers have been proceeding cautiously with Smith during camp due to a minor ankle injury, but assuming he experiences no setbacks Friday and in his subsequent Cactus League appearances, he'll be available to catch in the team's season-opening two-game series in Tokyo versus the Cubs on March 18 and 19.
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