Will Smith is moving in the right direction, but the Dodgers still don’t have a clean answer on when their catcher will be back.
Smith has been sidelined much longer than Los Angeles expected because of a neck injury, specifically an inflamed disc, and with the trade deadline nearing, the club is still trying to pin down what the rest of 2026 might look like for him. The encouraging part is that the recovery has started to trend the right way. The frustrating part is that nobody is ready to put a date on it.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the team spent time sorting through the diagnosis and the timeline with multiple doctors.
“When we were feeling our way through it, a few of the different doctors that we consulted, everyone agreed on the diagnosis part of it, there was just disagreement on the timeline of how long it would take for him to feel good,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this week.
“And when he turned a corner and started to feel way better, it lined up perfectly with one of the doctors and what they said. It’s obviously a difficult thing to know exactly, and different guys heal differently, but it lines up with it. And he has continued to stack good day on good day, and progressing.
“And actually, I just saw him on my way here, and he’s doing really well.”
Dave Roberts added more detail before Thursday’s game against the Seattle Mariners, laying out the kinds of activities Smith has been able to handle as he works back.
“Lifting weights, I think he’s getting his body moving as far as the cardio part of it, I think there’s some throwing involved, and I’m assuming some swinging. Not sure how aggressive that is, but moving, being active, lifting weights is kind of the floor,” Roberts said.
Still, Roberts made it clear the Dodgers are not pretending they know exactly how this ends.
“I’m not sure. I think this is something that’s uncharted territory for him. We’re back to square one, so I just don’t know how long that ramp-up will be,” Roberts began.
“It’s kind of every marker, if he feels good, we’ll keep advancing. There’s obviously going to be a rehab assignment behind it. Very confident that’s going to happen given that he’s pain-free and doing some things now.”
For now, Los Angeles has leaned on Dalton Rushing, who has filled in effectively and is having a much better second season in 2026. The 25-year-old is hitting .257/.339/.481 with 12 doubles, 12 home runs and 36 RBI in 214 at-bats.
Eliezer Alfonzo has also given the Dodgers a boost lately. Over his last four games, the switch-hitter has three hits, including two doubles, along with two RBI and two runs scored.
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