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Dodgers Scratch Will Smith From Lineup vs Angels in Concerning Development

Dalton Rushing is starting in his place.
Noah Camras|
May 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) runs after hitting a two run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
May 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) runs after hitting a two run home run against the Colorado Rockies during the sixth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers have scratched catcher Will Smith from Saturday's lineup against the Los Angeles Angels.

The team didn't immediately provide a reason, but manager Dave Roberts then spoke to reporters a few hours before first pitch and said Smith has a stiff neck.

Roberts said Smith is expected to be back in the lineup on Sunday, and that the plan was for him to play in two of three games this series anyway.

Smith was initially the starting catcher on Saturday night and batting sixth. Instead, Dalton Rushing is starting at catcher and batting eighth. Here's the updated lineup:

  1. Shohei Ohtani, DH
  2. Andy Pages, CF
  3. Freddie Freeman, 1B
  4. Mookie Betts, SS
  5. Max Muncy, 3B
  6. Ryan Ward, LF
  7. Alex Call, RF
  8. Dalton Rushing, C
  9. Alex Freeland, 2B

Smith went 0-for-2 on Friday night against the Angels with two strikeouts and a walk. On the year, he's hitting .249 with six home runs, 23 runs batted in and an OPS of .720.

Smith got off to a slow start this year and even missed some time in late April due to a back issue. Toward the end of May, manager Dave Roberts decided to give him some time to reset, as he only started in one of the team's three games against the Milwaukee Brewers from May 22-24.

“Will has been grinding,” Roberts said at the time. “I’ve caught him a lot. He’s working on his swing. So for me, to give him two days off — one to kind of reset, the off day, this one to watch a game and work on his swing and not have to play.”

Roberts said at the time that Smith wasn't hitting the fastball as well as usual. Smith 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.

“We’ll figure it out.”

Smith hasn't figured things out in June, currently just 2-for-13 (.154) with an OPS of .543 through the first four games.

Now, he's out of the lineup on Saturday, but will hope to be back in there for Sunday's series finale.

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Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah Camras graduated from the University of Southern California in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and has extensively covered Southern California sports in his career. Noah is the publisher of Dodgers on SI after contributing as a writer and editor over the last three years.

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