Will Smith was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for the final two games of the Freeway Series and that continued into Tuesday’s series opener against the Pittsburg Pirates.
Initially, the Dodgers anticipated Smith being back in the lineup on Sunday. And when that didn’t come to be, there was a mixture of hope and uncertainty over whether Smith would play in the first game of the Dodgers’ road trip. Now he’s poised to be out Wednesday as well.
“He hit a little bit today, played catch today. Went OK. He just still doesn’t feel right,” manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA before the first game at PNC Park. “I’m not sure what the thought is or where we’re at on the imaging piece of it.
“So it’s still a day-to-day situation. Just kind of talking to him today, talking to trainers, I would like him to go through a full day before he plays. So that will probably take [Wednesday] off the table and then we’ll kind of go from there.”
That plan would give Smith five days of rest thanks to the Dodgers’ day off on Monday.
Smith had imaging taken of his neck, which Roberts previously said the results “checked out” and were “good.”
If the Dodgers are not satisfied with Smith’s condition after Wednesday, a stint on the 10-day injured list is on the table.
“Yeah, I think that now the IL is more of a possibility. You’re talking about a position player, so it’s 10 days, and then the backdate. We’re starting to talk about that,” Roberts said.
There isn’t clarity on what has caused the pain in Smith’s neck, which primarily affects him when hitting. Roberts said the discomfort is located only on one side of the neck, but he wasn’t certain which.
The good news for L.A. is that Dalton Rushing has proved to be more than capable as a backup this season. Rushing reached base five times in eight plate appearances in the two games he started against the Los Angeles Angels, and continued that momentum against the Pirates.
Will Smith hitting below expectations
The 31-year-old has not been himself this season, batting .249/.338/.382 with five doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI over 52 games.
He also sat out two of three games against the Milwaukee Brewers just over two weeks ago.
In that instance, Roberts indicated the move was more about giving Smith a break amid his struggles rather than any underlying injury.
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