After days of delaying such a decision, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed Will Smith on the 10-day injured list after he missed four games in a row due to what manager Dave Roberts deemed was neck stiffness.
Smith’s official designation for going on the IL was neck inflammation.
It was a decision the team did not initially believe it would have to make, but it became necessary as the days passed without much improvement in Smith’s condition, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group.
“It’s been a long few days,” Smith said of hoping the issue would subside more quickly. “It happened in Arizona, played on it a couple days, played on it at home (last Friday), and then just that third or fourth day, I kind of felt it was just getting a lot worse. Couldn’t play that day (he was scratched from the lineup on Saturday).
“It’s one of those things we thought was going to get a little better in a couple days. It’s just taking a little bit longer.”
Ultimately, the Dodgers sat Smith because they viewed the risk of letting him play through the pain as unnecessary.
“Talking to Will, talking to the trainers, it was just not wanting it to go in reverse,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s certainly probably playable if we needed. But at what cost? Right now, I just don’t think it’s smart to run Will out there just because he’s Will Smith and he’ll do it. We gotta take care of his health for this year.
“I don’t think it’s a serious thing, but I do think that us taking care of it right now on the front end will pay benefits.”
The move to sideline Smith became a possibility at the start of their road trip. The team decided they would move forward on doing so if their starting catcher’s status had not improved by Wednesday.
The Dodgers’ decision to release Minor Leaguer Tyler Fitzgerald was an early indicator that Smith would be landing on the injured list. The organization freed up a spot on the 40-man roster by releasing Fitzgerald and used it to call up Chuckie Robinson prior to Thursday’s game against the Pittsburg Pirates.
Dalton Rushing will continue to serve as the primary catcher going forward, with Robinson serving as the backup.
Robinson had two stints with the Dodgers in September last year, first when Dalton Rushing landed on the IL, and again when Smith missed time.
Will Smith injury details and timeline
It’s unclear what caused Smith’s neck issue, but it primarily affects him while hitting.
The results of imaging taken of his neck were positive. Roberts said the results “checked out” and were “good.”
The 31-year-old’s IL stint is backdated to June 8, which makes him eligible to return on June 19. Whether Smith is activated immediately figures to be dependent on how the situation unfolds over the next couple of days.
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