The Los Angeles Dodgers won three of their four meetings against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field despite being without one of their most consistent hitters in Will Smith, who has been sidelined over the past week due to a concussion.
Smith was eligible to be activated off the seven-day injured list this past Thursday, but manager Dave Roberts ruled out the possibility. Roberts nevertheless indicated that Smith was making progress and would soon resume baseball activities.
After an off day on Monday, the Dodgers wrap up their road trip with a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.
While the Dodgers were initially optimistic Smith would be able to return for the matchup, Roberts expressed doubt, via MLB.com:
The Dodgers had hoped to have Smith back by the end of their road trip in Pittsburgh on April 27, but that appears unlikely now, according to Roberts.
Given his importance to the lineup, the Dodgers are being cautious with Smith and won’t rush him back. It’s also likely that Smith may go on a rehab assignment prior to being activated.
“It’s just my coach’s hat is on and I think there’s some things that he needs to do to feel confident that we’re not going to regress, I want to put him in the best position to have success and not just run him out there,” Roberts previously said. “I think it’s great that he feels good.”
Smith is batting .333/.417/.641 with three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI in 11 games this season. As he works his way back from concussion symptoms, L.A. has been relying on the catching tandem of Austin Barnes and Austin Wynns.
Will Smith experienced concussion symptoms late
Smith’s concussion was a result of being struck in the face by three foul balls during the Dodgers’ game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on April 11. He started in the series finale and didn’t begin to experience any symptoms until the Dodgers’ off day.
“I passed the actual concussion test, balance test, vision test, memory test, all of that. But the symptoms added up and it was determined it was definitely a concussion, so just played it safe,” Smith explained.
Headaches have been a returning and lingering symptom.
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