Dodgers' Dave Roberts Has Clear Response on Potentially Benching Will Smith Amid Struggles

The Los Angeles Dodgers are heading back home down 0-2 in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

The Dodgers were unable to come away with a win in Milwaukee, and will now have to take care of business at home.

As things stand, that looks like a tall task, especially given how lackluster the offense has been.

The Dodgers' offense has not produced this series. Multiple players are to blame, including catcher Will Smith.

The Dodgers' All-Star catcher has been searching for his swing this entire postseason.

With that in mind, Dave Roberts was asked whether benching Smith and replacing him with Hunter Feduccia is an option.

Roberts responded by backing his catcher and expressing full confidence in him turning things around.

"Yeah, I'm not going to put Feduccia in place of Will Smith," Roberts said. "That's just not going to happen."

The Dodgers Need Will Smith to Break Out of His Slump

After batting third in the lineup in Game 1 against the Brewers, Roberts moved Smith down to fifth in Game 2.

In six postseason games, Smith is now hitting an abysmal .043 with a .126 OPS. He has just one hit and eight strikeouts in 23 at-bats.

Saying Smith is struggling at the plate is an understatement.

While his usual postseason numbers aren't off the charts, they're far better than what he's producing now.

In Smith's postseason career, he's hit .203 with a .638 OPS, 10 home runs, 37 RBIs and 59 hits in 291 at-bats.

Smith was asked whether the neck injury he sustained earlier in the season, which caused him to miss three months, is affecting his play.

The 31-year-old didn't use that as an excuse.

"Yeah, I felt really good the last month, the last couple weeks, especially," he said. "I still feel good up there, swinging at the right pitches, taking good pitches, just barely missing balls. Pitchers are making good pitches to me."

"It's been five games," he added before Game 2. "Obviously want the results to be a little better, but at the end of the day, it's five games at the plate. No panic from me. So I'll be fine."

Game 2 of the NLCS wasn't any better for Smith. He continued his brutal slump, going 0-for-4 with one strikeout.

It's been tough sledding for Smith, and if he can't turn things around by Game 3, the Dodgers' offense will be in major trouble.

However, that doesn't mean Roberts is going to put him on the bench.

"He still takes a good at-bat," Roberts said before Game 2. "It just hasn't kind of lined up yet. It's one of those things that in this moment in time, everything rightfully is more magnified and it's five games. All it takes is squaring one ball up, and it flips."

The Dodgers will hope Smith is able to make that flip as soon as Wednesday.

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