Aug 31, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates as he rounds the bases on a walk-off home run in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers Have Made Decision on Will Smith's IL Stint

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Aaron Coloma | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed whether or not the team would place All-Star catcher Will Smith on the injured list after he suffered an injury against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday.

Smith took a foul ball off of the hand in the bottom of the second inning, and exited the game in the third. The Dodgers brought up catcher Ben Rortvedt, who they acquired at the trade deadline, for the series finale while Smith rode the bench, leaving many to speculate whether or not he would miss an extended amount of time.

“I think with the results that we’ve received, I think that we can avoid the IL,” Roberts said after Thursday's loss to the Pirates.

“But we’ll kind of give him a few days before we have to make that IL decision.”

Smith will miss a few more games for the Dodgers, and is unlikely to play before the end of the week, per Roberts.

“Will feels a little bit better. Range of motion, good. Strength, good. But I don’t see him playing this weekend.” Roberts said.

The catcher is a big miss for the Dodgers, as he has been one of their best offensive players in 2025. He is in the middle of a race for the batting title with a .296 batting average, leads the National League with a .405 on base percentage. His .902 OPS on the season is the highest he's had in a season with more than 100 games played.

Dalton Rushing will take over for the three-time All-Star, and will finally get consistent game time for the first time this season. He has played 44 games since being called up to the majors in mid-May, and has a .193 batting average in that time. He has three home runs — coming just shy of a fourth against the Pirates on Thursday — and 21 RBIs on the season.

The Dodgers open a series against the Baltimore Orioles on Friday after suffering a disappointing sweep against the Pirates. Tyler Glasnow will take the mound against the O's in Baltimore as the Dodgers look to return to winning ways.

The opening game of the series begins Friday at 4:05 p.m. PT.