Will Smith was in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup on Friday for the first time this spring, as he had been eased into action due to dealing with a left ankle injury.
The specifics of Smith’s injury were vague, with manager Dave Roberts only recently revealing it was an issue he dealt with last season and surmising it likely contributed to struggles at the plate.
“Two years ago there was the rib situation. I think last year, the ankle. It’s the ankle, so kind of holding the ground, not being able to get inside of it, I think that played a part,” Roberts said.
“He’ll never use that as an excuse but I think that certainly played a part.”
Smith hit just .248/.327/.433 with 24 doubles, 20 home runs and 75 RBI over 128 games last season. Smith’s .760 on-base plus slugging percentage was the lowest of his career and so too were the .326 wOBA and 111 wRC+ he finished with.
The decline in offensive production came in the same season Smith signed a 10-year, $140 million contract extension.
There was some belief Smith’s struggles last year were perhaps due to pressuring himself to meet expectations with the new Dodgers contract. Particularly with Smith scuttling throughout most of the 2024 season rather than primarily in the second half, like with other years when potential fatigue became a question.
Will Smith’s ankle injury
Although Smith is now participating in Cactus League games as the start of the regular season is just over two weeks away, indications are he will need to play through what Roberts revealed is a bone bruise on his left ankle.
“I just don’t think it’s something that’s going to go away anytime soon,” Roberts conceded. “So it is what it is. We’re hoping as time goes on at some point, but it’s not impeding at all.”
After Roberts’ comments, Smith detailed he suffered the ankle injury on a slide last June. He also downplayed the notion that the injury caused struggles at the plate, which Smith believes were more mechanical-based.
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