UPDATE (April 15, 9:15 p.m.): Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Will Smith will not play Sunday and is due to undergo testing along with likely being placed on the injured list.
Will Smith was expected to be in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Friday for the series opener against the Chicago Cubs after the off-day, but Austin Barnes was instead behind the plate.
Smith is dealing with an illness and was unavailable on Friday, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts only specified that it was not a physical injury.
“Will is not doing well right now,” Roberts said prior to first pitch. “I don’t know what it was. Something coming off the off-day. He was scheduled to be in there, but it’s a good opportunity to get Austin in there. We’ll see where Will is at tomorrow.”
The 28-year-old was at the stadium despite being out of the lineup and unavailable.
Roberts hoped Smith would return to the lineup on Saturday, but that didn’t end up being the case. That pushed his potential return back to the series finale against the Cubs.
“He’s just not feeling well,” Roberts said. “So my plan, my hope is that Will will be in the lineup tomorrow. It’s just a being sick kind of thing. So nothing like physical as far as tissue or anything like that.”
Smith has been the Dodgers’ most productive hitter in the early part of the season. He is batting .333/.417/.641 with three home runs and a 173 wRC+ while batting in the No. 3 spot in the lineup.
The Dodgers have relied on Smith in an important role in their lineup, and he has so far delivered as he looks for his first All-Star Game selection.
“To me, it’s just treat every at-bat the same,” Smith previously said about now batting third in the Dodgers lineup. “Just trying to keep my approach, swing at the right pitches. That’s what I can control. That’s how I go about it.”
If Smith was to miss any extended time, which seems highly unlikely at this point, the Dodgers would almost certainly add another catcher to their 40-man roster. Diego Cartaya is the only other backstop on their extended roster, but he is unlikely to get called up at this point in his career.
Max Muncy emergency catcher with Will Smith out
If the Dodgers do find themselves in need of a third catcher during a game, Max Muncy is filling that role.
“He’s a guy that’s probably caught the most outside of our two catchers,” Roberts said. “Being the great teammate that he is and understanding what’s at stake, so if we do need somebody — and I pray it doesn’t get to that — I appreciate Max volunteering himself.”
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