Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith has apparently been dealing with some real pain over the past several months.
Smith appeared over the weekend on “Dodger Talk” on AM 570 in LA. He revealed on the show that he played through a broken rib for months, having been hit by a pitch from St. Louis Cardinals reliever Jake Woodford on April 30. While Smith said that he is now 100 percent healthy, he also admitted that the rib injury affected his hitting.
“Once I was healthy, it was going to be an adjustment because the body is going to reprogram itself to deal with it,” Smith was quoted as saying. “It took a little longer to figure it all than I would have liked.”
The All-Star catcher has had a decent enough year at the dish overall, batting .265 with 18 home runs and 71 RBI. But Smith wasn't great in June (hitting .230) and is once again struggling with a .236 batting average since Aug. 1 (including a sour .196 during September.)
At least it sounds like Smith is progressing past the issues that the broken rib has been causing him. But with backup catcher Austin Barnes lacking competence and the Dodgers currently having gaping holes elsewhere on the roster, Smith almost has no choice here but to keep playing through anything and everything.
More must-reads: