Will Smith is getting closer to a return, and the Dodgers appear to be lining things up for a fairly quick ramp-up.
Smith took live batting practice on Friday for the first time since suffering a neck injury, with his at-bats coming against 2025 Dodgers draft pick Sam Horn, who was previously a quarterback at the University of Missouri. Manager Dave Roberts said the session marked another positive step in the catcher’s recovery.
“Today was a good day for Will. Taking at-bats, he’ll catch a couple bullpens,” Roberts said.
The next step for Smith is more live pitching work before he begins what is expected to be a short rehab assignment. Roberts said the hope is to have him back early next month.
“Hopefully that first week of September, he’s active,” Roberts said.
Smith has not appeared in a game since June 5. At first, the injury seemed minor when he was scratched from the lineup with neck stiffness and was expected to miss only one or two games. Instead, the issue turned out to be more serious than initially thought, and Smith did not become pain-free until late July.
Roberts said he trusts Smith’s feel for his own body and is encouraged by where things stand now.
“I believe what he says, and he’s very in tune with his body,” answered Roberts when asked if he’s confident the neck injury is behind Smith. “But at the end of the day, there’s not much of the calendar left and he’s going to play in the postseason.
“I think it’s also helpful knowing there’s no other alternative. He’s going to prepare his mind and body to get ready to go.”
The Dodgers are not expecting Smith to jump right back into an everyday workload. The goal is to build him up enough that he can catch a full game once he’s activated, with postseason readiness the bigger target.
“Obviously when he gets back it’s not going to be an everyday situation, but the buildup, there’s plenty of time for that,” Roberts noted. “And then also once you get to the postseason - I don’t like getting ahead - but the schedule, you’re not playing every day anyway.”
That approach fits with how the Dodgers handled Smith last October. His workload was limited, and he was even left off the Wild Card Series roster because of a hairline fracture in his left hand. He didn’t end up playing all nine innings of a game until Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Turn To Former Dodgers Fill-In As Infield Trouble Grows
Arizona has dipped into familiar territory for help in the infield, bringing in Santiago Espinal on a minor-league deal as the Diamondbacks try to steady a roster hit by injuries. The move comes after a rough run for Espinal in his brief initial stint with the Dodgers in early 2026, when his bat never got going and he was designated for assignment twice.
The fit is obvious enough from the Dodgers perspective, since they know exactly what the veteran utility type can and cannot provide. Arizona needs coverage with Ketel Marte on the 10-day injured list after knee inflammation, following a stretch on the restricted list, and Espinal gives them another option while they sort through the rest of the infield picture. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Got An Eye-Catching First Look At Cam Leiter
The Dodgers farm system delivered a little bit of everything on the mound and at the plate, but the most eye-catching debut came from Cam Leiter, who wasted no time making an impression for Great Lakes. In his first High-A start, Leiter carved through hitters for seven strikeouts across 3 1/3 scoreless innings, the kind of opening line that tends to get attention quickly in an organization always watching for pitching depth.
Elsewhere, Jackson Ferris turned in a solid five-inning outing while allowing one run in Oklahoma Citys Triple-A win, and Chris Newell provided the biggest swing of the night with a grand slam in Tulsas one-run loss. There were other notable contributions across the Dodgers minor league clubs, but Leiters debut stood out as the sort of performance that makes a player worth tracking the next time the farm system scoreboard lights up. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Got A Kobe Release That Feels Pure Los Angeles
Nikes new Kobe Collection has already found its way into the Dodgers clubhouse, giving the team a very Los Angeles kind of off-field moment. The brand gifted players merchandise tied to the line, including the Kobe 5 Protro and Air Force 1 Protro shoes, and the club shared video of the unboxing as guys like Blake Snell and Tucker took it in. The timing fits, too, since the collection was released Aug. 15 with early access at the Mamba League Invitational, blending Kobe Bryants legacy with the city he still symbolizes.
For the Dodgers, it was less about a simple apparel drop and more about a piece of local culture arriving in the middle of the season. The collections design language is built around Bryant and Los Angeles, which is why the reaction inside the room mattered, even in a short clip. It is the kind of crossover that resonates in this market, where basketball and baseball are always brushing up against each other, and where anything connected to Kobe tends to carry a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]