The Dodgers will pitch Will Smith on the 10-day injured list tomorrow, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register). They will choose Chuckie Robinson in the active list to back up Dalton Rushing. LA opened up a 40-man roster spot by waivers Tyler Fitzgerald in the afternoon.
Smith has been keeping a stiff neck for the past few days. He has not played since Friday. The Dodgers can push back his IL placement for up to three days, so he will be out until at least next Wednesday. Roberts downplayed the concern.
It’s been a slow start to the season for Smith. He is hitting .249/.338/.382 with six home runs in 201 plate appearances. His plate discipline and batted ball metrics are generally consistent with those of previous seasons, so the Dodgers aren’t worried. Smith remains on the short list of the best catchers in the sport even if a slight dip could keep him from a fourth straight All-Star appearance.
Rushing, who is hitting .275/.352/.532 on the season, will be the #1 catcher on most other teams. He is more than capable of holding down the main job in what should be a temporary absence. The run started four straight times on Monday’s day off. The Dodgers don’t have another day off until next Thursday, so they needed to grab someone healthy at some point.
That will fall to the 31-year-old Robinson, the type of depth in the organization. He played one game for the Dodgers last September and has had brief MLB stints with the Reds and White Sox. The Dodgers re-signed him to a minor league deal in the short term and kept him at Triple-A Oklahoma City. Robinson missed the first month of the season but is back hitting .274/.338/.466 over 20 starts. He is a career .131/.169/.192 hitter at the big league level.
