Inside The Dodgers

Dodgers All-Star Has Wrist Injury, Out of Lineup vs Cubs

J.P. Hoornstra|
Apr 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates with first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a three run home run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. All players wore #42 for Jackie Robinson Day.
Apr 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) celebrates with first baseman Freddie Freeman (5) after hitting a three run home run in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. All players wore #42 for Jackie Robinson Day. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Will Smith is not in the Los Angeles Dodgers' lineup Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs because of an injury.

According to David Vassegh of AM-570 on Twitter/X, Smith woke up with a sore left wrist Wednesday morning after banging it on a play at the plate Tuesday, when the All-Star catcher tagged the Cubs' Ian Happ in the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 11-10 loss.

Smith isn’t too concerned, according to Vassegh, but with a day off Thursday, manager Dave Roberts decided to give his starting catcher an extra day to recuperate. Roberts told reporters, including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, that Smith's availability is dependent on his "pain tolerance."

According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on Twitter/X, Smith might undergo imaging when the Dodgers return from their road trip after Wednesday's game at Wrigley Field.

Smith, 30, has been among the bright spots in the Dodgers' lineup through the early going in 2025. He's slashing .350/.453/.567 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in 20 games.

Austin Barnes is batting ninth and catching with right-hander Ben Casparius on the mound for what is expected to be a bullpen game.

Barnes, 35, has one hit in each of his last two games. His last appearance was Sunday's game in Texas, in which he was replaced by a pinch hitter (Smith) in the eighth inning of the Dodgers' 1-0 win over the Rangers.

Prior to those two hits, Barnes started the season 0-for-33 with five strikeouts. He's a career .222/.322/.337 hitter across 11 major league seasons, all with the Dodgers.

Last season, Barnes slashed .264/.331/.307 as the backup to Smith. He did not make a plate appearance in the postseason as the Dodgers marched all the way to a five-game World Series victory over the New York Yankees.

More news: Dodgers Manager Reveals Whether or Not Tyler Glasnow Will Miss Time for LA

Smith and the Dodgers agreed to a 10-year, $140 million contract extension in March 2024 that will keep him in Los Angeles for the next decade. Smith is owed a base salary of $13 million this year, in addition to the remainder of the $30 million signing bonus that came with his contract.

Given the investment the Dodgers have made in Smith — and the dropoff in offense from Smith to Barnes — any injury is at least midlly concerning. This sounds like a mild one, and the Dodgers will gladly welcome Smith back into their lineup whenever his health allows.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.

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J.P. Hoornstra
J.P. HOORNSTRA

J.P. Hoornstra is an On SI Contributor. A veteran of 20 years of sports coverage for daily newspapers in California, J.P. covered MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Los Angeles Angels (occasionally of Anaheim) from 2012-23 for the Southern California News Group. His first book, The 50 Greatest Dodgers Games of All-Time, published in 2015. In 2016, he won an Associated Press Sports Editors award for breaking news coverage. He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors.

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