Catcher Will Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, a move that appeared to be inevitable for the past week.
Smith, 31, hasn’t appeared in a game since June 5 due to stiffness in his neck. His IL stint is retroactive to June 8, making him eligible to return on June 19.
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The Dodgers announced that Smith is going on the IL due to neck inflammation. He told reporters that he’s dealing with an inflamed disc in his neck but termed the injury “minor,” according to the California Post’s Jack Harris.
Smith has played in 52 games this season, compiling a slash line of .249/.338/.382 with 6 home runs, 5 doubles and 23 RBI in 201 plate appearances. Behind the plate, he has thrown out 5 of 29 basestealers while allowing 3 passed balls and 7 wild pitches. Advanced metrics credit him with 4 Defensive Runs Saved, second-most among MLB catchers.
While Smith has missed the past four games, the Dodgers were playing with Dalton Rushing as the only healthy catcher on their roster. To fill in for Smith on the major-league roster, Chuckie Robinson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he was hitting .260/.321/.442.
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The Dodgers apparently tried to avoid putting Smith on the IL, perhaps hoping he could catch Shohei Ohtani as usual on Wednesday. Ohtani allowed four runs (three earned) with 6 hits and 3 walks over 6 2/3 innings in a 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rushing batted 0-for-4.
After Smith missed four games, the team decided to backdate his stint to the last time he played, meaning he would miss another 10 days.
Rushing will start Thursday’s matchup with the Pirates, and Robinson will get the nod on Friday against the Chicago White Sox, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
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