Dave Roberts Provides Unfortunate Update on Dodgers $140 Million All-Star's Injury

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith spent the last nine months dealing with an injury, and according to manager Dave Roberts, it won't be healed any time soon.

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Smith sustained a bone bruise last summer after an awkward slide into second base against the New York Yankees in June. The backstop never missed time, but was dealing with it throughout the year.

“I just don’t think it’s something that’s gonna go away anytime soon,” Roberts said, via Jack Harris of The Los Angeles Times. “It just kind of is what it is.”

Although Smith didn't attribute the bone bruise to his second half struggles in 2024, Roberts believes the injury played a part in the backstop's slump.

"I think last year, there was a lot of pitches that he was missing," Roberts said. "I do believe the foot was kind of impeding the swing. I don’t know if he’s been able to manage it. But I think right now, he’s in a really good spot."

The Dodgers will likely monitor Smith throughout the season, but he can't exactly afford to miss time with a shortened offseason and the season opener in Japan quickly approaching.

“It’s one of those things that he’s just going to have to deal with it,” Roberts said. “But I think right now he’s in a really good spot.”

Rest is essentially the only remedy for Smith's bone bruise, and the Dodgers catcher did rest throughout the winter.

“(It) just stuck around all year and didn’t get better in the offseason,” Smith said Saturday.

"You can do all sorts of treatment and everything, but the only thing that really heals it is rest. We're looking more into why maybe it's not going away. Sometimes it just takes a while."

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