Dodgers Regret Will Smith Decision, Says Dave Roberts

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

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith got placed on the injured list with a bone bruise in his right hand, though manager Dave Roberts regrets rolling out the All-Star on Tuesday.

Smith injured his wrist days ago, though the Dodgers hope that his recovery will be quicker than 10 days.

He did end up playing on Tuesday, though his outing led to additional discomfort and swelling, leading to an official stint on the injured list.

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Now that Smith is on the IL, Roberts told Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register that he regrets not placing Smith earlier.

“This was the information we had at that moment in time,” he said. “The X-rays were all negative. People have contusions all the time, but this one right now is kind of lingering a little bit longer than we all hoped.

“I think in hindsight we would have definitely done it (the IL move). But that’s not what we had at that point in time. The information we had at the time was, he could play a game, which he did. That’s what we knew. And then when he comes up sore the next day and the following days, then we made a decision.”

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While Smith is out on the injured list, the Dodgers are hoping that he heals and gets past the bone bruise entirely.

“We’re hopeful that one week will settle it down,” Roberts said. “I think the thing is, we remain hopeful because all the scans are negative. So we feel good that just some time off, he’ll be back to feeling back to normal.

“We just didn’t want him to have to go through this, being sore, ailing to compromise the throwing mechanics, the hitting mechanics, all that stuff.”

In the meantime, the Dodgers are relying on catchers Ben Rortvedt and Chuckie Robinson, both of whom comprise the team's current catcher platoon until Dalton Rushing returns from a lower leg injury.

The rookie was placed on the IL with a right shin contusion earlier this month.

Smith is set to come off the IL on Saturday if his recovery goes well, right in the middle of the Dodgers' home series against the San Francisco Giants next week.

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