Dodgers All-Star Pushes Back on Dave Roberts’ Assessment of Struggles

The Los Angeles Dodgers have gotten off to another great start this season, but the offense has continued to be inconsistent.

Los Angeles believed that it had solved some of the issues that hurt them last season, but they have again come into play. Part of this has been due to struggles from the top of the lineup, and the coaching staff has been trying to move guys around to fix the issue.

Star catcher Will Smith has been part of this problem, and in Wednesday's series finale against the San Diego Padres, he was moved down in the lineup to the No. 7 spot. Manager Dave Roberts dropped Smith lower than fifth in the lineup for the first time all season, believing that it could help the veteran get back on track.

When asked about Smith's struggles, Roberts said the All-Star catcher was just "not hitting the fastball" amid his slump.

“He’s not hitting the fastball. For me, there’s a lot of he’s missing the fastball,” Roberts said. “I think there’s sliders, spin, that’s in zone that he’s just missing.

“I think when you’re not squaring up the fastball and you’re missing spin, that’s a tough combo. Again, the intent, the grind of at-bats, is certainly there. But it’s just not ending at-bats when he typically does.”

Smith was informed of that diagnosis, and didn't exactly agree.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m hitting fastballs hard,” Smith said. “They’re just hard to right field. Especially line drives in the gap that are getting caught. Overall, I’ve been hitting the ball hard — just to right field. I’m not pulling it and we think that’s a mechanical issue."

Smith was also given the day off for the first contest against the Milwaukee Brewers, with Roberts hoping to help him reset. Fatigue could be playing a role in his struggles, with Smith coming off multiple long postseason runs over the last few years.

Overall, Smith is hitting .247 with four home runs and 20 runs batted in, while posting an OPS of .668.

For the year, Smith has only hit .241 against fastballs, which is a major drop from his .307 average last year. Overall last season, Smith hit .296 with an OPS of .901.

The 2026 season has easily been the worst season of Smith's career so far, and his issues at the plate have played a part in the offensive problems of the Dodgers. But the team is confident that Smith will be able to turn things around going forward, as he is far too talented not to make that happen.

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