UPDATE (April 16, 10:35 a.m. PT): The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Austin Wynns to a Major League contract and placed Will Smith on the seven-day concussion injured list, retroactive to April 13.
Will Smith was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Saturday for a second consecutive game, and manager Dave Roberts revealed after a 2-1 walk-off win against the Chicago Cubs that he again was unavailable.
Roberts additionally suggested Smith could wind up on the injured list as soon as Sunday. “Austin (Barnes) is going to catch again,” Roberts said.
“We’re going to try to run some more tests and try to figure this thing out. Obviously, we’re probably going to make a move. I don’t know what that’s going to be. But just doesn’t look good. We’ll evaluate tomorrow and see where he’s at.”
To this point, the Dodgers have only indicated Smith missed two games because of an unspecified illness. Michael Grove recently dealt with strep throat and when asked if that’s what Smith had contracted, Roberts said no.
Over the past two days Roberts also said Smith’s issue was not “physical” or a tissue injury. The initial hope was Smith would return to the Dodgers lineup on Saturday, which then was pushed back to the series finale before Roberts offered yet another update.
Smith last played on Wednesday and has appeared in 11 of the Dodgers’ 15 games so far this season. He’s batting .333/.417/.641 with three doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI.
Smith leads the team in batting average, and is second in RBI and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.058) as he’s been cemented in the third spot of the Dodgers lineup.
Who would replace Will Smith on Dodgers roster?
If the Dodgers put Smith on the IL, Diego Cartaya is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster who is not already up with the club. However, it’s unlikely the Dodgers would recall Cartaya, as the extent of his professional experience is five games with Double-A Tulsa this season.
Hunter Feduccia and Patrick Mazeika are both with Triple-A Oklahoma City, and could easily be put on the 40-man roster with Alex Reyes getting transferred to the 60-day IL as a corresponding move. Doing so would prevent Reyes from returning until May 29 at the earliest, but even that date seems aggressive as he recovers from right shoulder surgery.
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