Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith revealed the cause of the neck injury which landed him on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
Per the Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett, Smith referred to his injury as an “inflamed disc” and said his problems began during the Dodgers’ latest series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played through the injury for a few games, but couldn’t do it any longer leading up to his scratch from Saturday’s game.
Smith also said he is optimistic surrounding his return after spending the minimum time on the injured list. The Dodgers placed Smith on the injured list retroactive to June 8, meaning he can return against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday, June 19 if he immediately comes off of the injured list.
Who Replaced Will Smith on the Roster?
The Dodgers called up catcher Chuckie Robinson in a corresponding move to Smith’s IL placement, giving the veteran another chance in MLB after featuring just once for LA in the big leagues last year.
In that game, Robinson laid down a sacrifice bunt in his first plate appearance, then reached base on a fielder’s choice in his second trip to the plate and eventually came around to score.
Robinson has 52 games of MLB experience, previously featuring for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox in 2022 and 2024, respectively. He has a career .131/.169/.192 slash line.
Will Chuckie Robinson Be Will Smith’s Primary Replacement?
While Robinson came up to the majors in Smith’s place, he likely won’t see the field too much. The Dodgers finally have an excuse to make former No. 1 prospect Dalton Rushing an everyday player, and will capitalize on the opportunity to get the backup catcher as many reps as possible.
Rushing has already caught the last four games in a row, though, so Robinson could come into a game in the coming days to relieve the 25-year-old. For the time being, though, Rushing will start for the Dodgers and will look to continue making an impact with the big league club.
He will start at catcher for the Dodgers in Wednesday’s rubber match against the Pittsburgh Pirates, which begins at 3:40 p.m. PT.
2 Responses
Rushing should get most of the playing time to hone his skills behind the plate.
I also think the Dodgers could have picked off Outman from the waiver list unless they think they have players ready in AAA and AA to come up. The kid Ward looks ready right now.
Gman
Deep team, deep farm system, deep pockets. We be deep!!!!!??