Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not progressing as expected from his injury, and his status looks murky for the foreseeable future.
Smith, who is available to be activated, has not made the progress the Dodgers hoped for, extending what was supposed to be a short absence into multiple weeks.
He did not travel with the Dodgers on the road trip to Minnesota and, in fact, has stopped baseball activities, according to manager Dave Roberts. Just last week, Smith was doing workouts.
“He feels OK, not great,” Roberts said back on June 19th. “We’re just trying to make sure that we don’t have a setback when he comes back.”
In fact, Smith underwent a scan, and the Dodgers found something in his neck, but it was described as minor.
The catcher took an injection in his neck to minimize the pain, but seemingly, the feeling is still there, and his status going forward remains unclear.
When can Will Smith return?
Dave Roberts made it clear that Smith will not return, at least while the team is on the road. Their current road trip ends on July 2nd after finishing up their series against the Twins, followed by stops in San Diego and Sacramento.
This will give him a full week to resume baseball activities and look good enough to be activated when the Dodgers host the Padres on July 2.
Luckily, the Dodgers are getting back Dalton Rushing after he went down with a possible concussion following the end of a swing, catching him on the head.
Chuckie Robinson has started to hit well, with two knocks on Tuesday, and looks to be gelling well with the pitching staff as well.
LA will be just fine without Smith for stretches during the regular season, but they need him finely tuned for the postseason. He is a true difference maker in moments when others tend to shrink.
