Dodgers' Will Smith Won't Be Back Until September as Long Recovery Continues

Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith has been out since early June as he battles an ongoing neck injury.

Smith is on the 60-day injured list, and has seen multiple setbacks during his recovery process.

Los Angeles has been very cautious with Smith in his recovery, giving him ample time to fully heal. But thankfully, the catcher seems to finally be progressing nicely, and he may start to take live batting practice soon.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been encouraged by the recovery of Smith, saying that the "arrow is pointing up" on his catcher. However, the veteran won't be back until at least September.

“I think a couple weeks ago I still think it was more of just, he was in a holding pattern. I think that in the last 10 days he’s been pain-free and was able to ramp up some things and not regress," Roberts said.

“I didn’t think he was going to be back before September. And that’s still going to hold.”

Both Roberts and Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes confirmed that Smith has recently started to ramp up baseball activities. Smith took batting practice on the field for the first time since June this week, and he reportedly came out of it pain-free.

While being out for so long isn't ideal, it could be a reset for Smith, who had been struggling at the plate before the injury. This season, Smith has hit .249 with six home runs and 23 RBIs, while posting an OPS of .720.

When Can Will Smith Return?

With a September return in mind, Smith will need to go on a rehab assignment once healthy. Since he's been out for months, Smith will need some time to ramp himself back up before the postseason starts.

“Will, I don’t see the rehab being too long,” Roberts said, “given his kind of simple swing and things like that.”

What is the Dodgers Plan at Catcher Moving Forward?

This seems to be excellent news for the Dodgers, who have been using two backup catchers in place of Smith.

Los Angeles has also been without backup catcher Dalton Rushing, who suffered a slight UCL tear.

Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia have made up the catching tandem for the Dodgers during this time. But Roberts is hopeful for the recovery of both Smith and Rushing, potentially giving the Dodgers both of their starters back down the stretch.

"Dalton, very encouraged," Roberts said. "Feels like he can go out there and take an at-bat right now, which is great. Will … no regression, so that was good. And so now you just keep doing that, make sure that we don't go backward."

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