The Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the postseason, but there are quite a few things to address before the road through October.
The bullpen situation, which lost another game for LA following a run-less outing by a starting pitcher on Tuesday, has never made fans more nervous than what some of the blown leads in September have shown. Another glaring issue that September has brought is that All-Star catcher Will Smith is currently on the injured list and at risk of not being ready for the start of the postseason.
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“I’m hoping for it,” Smith said when asked if he will be activated by then. “I’m doing everything I can to be ready.”
Smith’s timeline to return to baseball is a “pain-tolerance kind of thing,” as he recovers from a hairline fracture suffered by a foul ball hit off his hand earlier this month.
Smith spoke on what he still needs to accomplish before being able to return to his spot behind the dish, and seemed confident when he reminded the baseball world how close his team is to the promised land.
“At some point, I’ll definitely get some live ABs, not in games,” he said. “But it’s crunch time. Gotta go. Whenever I’m ready I’ll be back in there.”
In the meantime, rookie catcher Dalton Rushing has been getting an increased workload, — plus, overcame an IL stint of his own earlier this month, also via a foul ball mishap — and trade deadline acquisition Ben Rortvedt has been looking incredible as a backstop who wasn’t expected to crack the active roster, let alone in September.
Rortvedt was one of the less-talked-about deals at the deadline, being thrown in with some prospects in exchange for Triple-A catcher Hunter Feduccia, but he has been hitting .275 with a .741 OPS in his 15 appearances in Dodger blue, and hit his first home run of the year on Tuesday night.
Although the catching room isn’t ideal with the postseason less than a week away, the hope is that Smith can make a speedy recovery. Worst comes to worst, the emergence of Rortvedt can at least provide a sliver of relief to Dodger fans until the All-Star can once again put on his catcher’s gear.
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Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
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