The Los Angeles Dodgers recently welcomed back Will Smith after he missed nearly three months due to neck inflammation.
The three-time All-Star hasn’t performed at a high level since returning to the Dodgers, but his mere presence has positively impacted the team in more ways than one.
Manager Dave Roberts highlighted Smith as one of the Dodgers’ most important players for his at-bat quality and the stability he brings behind the plate.
“Will is just very consistent, dependable,” Roberts said. “I know he’s taking really good at-bats. He hit some balls to the warning track. Last night, pinch-hit sac fly, and then tonight, got a hanging breaking ball with a good at-bat. Seven, eight pitches, got a breaking ball up, hits a homer, so that was really good to see.
“But with Will, it’s just great having him in there because you know you can count on the at-bat quality, and obviously, having him behind the plate, he’s been good. I’ll have him down tomorrow. Give him tomorrow and then the off day, and then he’ll play two out of three at Miami. But yeah, just getting him back has been great.”
Roberts previously called Smith “crucial” to the Dodgers’ postseason outlook and was happy to get him back when active rosters expanded at the start of September.
“The experience, the calmness in the box, the managing of the pitching staff, all that stuff is crucial,” Roberts said of Smith’s importance.
L.A. was especially excited to get Smith back as their catching depth had taken a hit with Dalton Rushing also suffering an injury. They relied on the likes of Eliezer Alfonzo, Hunter Feduccia, Chuckie Robinson and Ben Rortvedt until Smith was activated off the 60-day injured list.
Will Smith planned to return even if neck didn’t heal
When Smith’s neck trouble first arose, he was only expected to miss a game or two. The injury would end up being more serious than the Dodgers initially believed, as the 31-year-old continued to be bothered by an inflamed disc.
It took a while for Smith to become pain-free, but he planned to rejoin the Dodgers this season even if his neck didn’t fully heal.
“Yeah, a little bit,” Smith recently said when asked if he ever became worried about how long it took his neck to improve. “It was kind of the who knows how long it’s going to take? But there was going to be a point at some point that I was going to be fed up and just kind of deal with it. So yeah.”
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