LOS ANGELES — Will Smith was originally in the Dodgers lineup for what would have been a second straight day, but was a very late scratch, with Ben Rortvedt doing the catching instead against the Rockies and starting for the fourth time in the last five games.
Smith took a foul ball off his right hand on September 3 in Pittsburgh, and missed the next five games while active. He started on Tuesday, caught all nine innings, and hit a double. Kirsten Watson on the SportsNet LA broadcast reported Smith’s
right hand “flared up” per manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers announced during the third inning that Smith was scratched due to right-hande soreness.
On the injury front, this week had been a positive one for the Dodgers, who activated third baseman Max Muncy on Monday, reliever Alex Vesia on Tuesday, and utility man Tommy Edman on Wednesday.
After Edman’s activation earlier on Wednesday, Roberts said, “Having him back, our lineup and our team looks more whole.”
Smith is having a fantastic season, his third straight year making the All-Star team. He’s hitting .296/.404/.407 with 17 home runs, 64 walks, and a 153 wRC+. Entering Wednesday he was 14 plate appearances shy of qualifying for the leaderboard, but among National League batters with at least 400 PA Smith is first in on-base percentage, second in batting average, and third in wRC+.
We’ll probably find out more after the game, including whether this is a concerning injury going forward or more of a precaution with the team using Thursday’s scheduled off day to give Smith extra rest with this impromptu sitting.
