After delaying for as long as possible, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally bit the bullet and put Will Smith on the 10-day injured list this past Saturday.
The Dodgers were hoping Smith would be able to play through a right hand contusion without needing to take much time off, but he was only able to appear in one game over a 10-day span.
In retrospect, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he would have liked to make the move to place his backstop on the IL sooner, but felt the team made the best decision with the information they had at the time. Roberts added the expectation was for Smith to return once eligible, but that no longer is the case.
“We’re sort of at a standstill,” Roberts said. “Not getting worse, getting a little bit better each day. He caught Glas today in the ‘pen, which is good.
“Not sure when he’s going to start throwing or hitting, so it’s hard to get excited. Not too worried, but hard to get excited until he starts doing baseball activities.”
Will Smith did a jersey-helmet swap with @SChecoPerez, who then threw out the first pitch as part of his visit to Dodger Stadium. pic.twitter.com/HmCkcxRWUw
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) September 18, 2025
Because the Dodgers backdated Smith’s IL stint, he’s eligible to return on Saturday. In addition to that getting delayed, it’s not clear when Smith will start to make needed progress in his rehab. The hope had been to have him face pitching late this week.
“You’re talking about not doing anything, a progression of throwing and hitting, as we sit here on Wednesday, that won’t happen through the weekend,” Roberts said.
“So I think the earliest that will happen would be when we’re in Arizona.”
From the beginning, the Dodgers knew that Smith’s hand contusion would affect him for the rest of the season. While it is unfortunate, there is nothing that can be done but put him in the best position to succeed come October.
“I don’t think it’s going to be 100% in October, so I think that there’s no better example or case study than Freddie. Once you get to that point, it kind of is what it is and you’ve just got to go,” Roberts said.
“So I think right now we’re just trying to buy as much time as we can to put him in the best spot physically. But I don’t think he’s going to be 100%.”
Similar to Freddie Freeman last year, the Dodgers could let Smith recover and get ready for postseason by resting him. But with a slim lead in the National League West, they need Smith in the lineup as much as possible.
“We could do that. It’s not ideal,” Roberts said. “Freddie’s situation wasn’t ideal, he’s just an outlier of a human. But yeah, we’ll do whatever we can.”
Will Smith meets Checo
The Dodgers hosted Cadillac Formula 1 team driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, with his visit including a tour of the clubhouse and throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.
Smith and Pérez also participated in a jersey-helmet swap on the field.
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