Dodgers' $140 Million All-Star Exits Tuesday's Cactus League Game After Hit By Pitch

Jul 19, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers first base Freddie Freeman (5) is congratulated by designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17), catcher Will Smith (16) and outfielder Miguel Vargas (27) after hitting a grand slam home run in the eighth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith was forced to exit the team's Cactus League game vs. the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday after being hit by a pitch on the knee.

Smith exited the game in the bottom of the fourth inning a few batters after being hit while standing on second base. He was then replaced at catcher by Hunter Feduccia.

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Smith has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury for the last nine months. Smith sustained the injury during a June series against the New York Yankees, and it just never went away.

The injury ended up being classified as a bone bruise, and Smith was still battling it this spring.

Smith had a late start to the spring, but has been able to get into Cactus League games over the last week. However, he's made it clear that this injury isn't going to go away anytime soon.

Read more: Dodgers' Will Smith Opens Up on Unfortunate Injury That's Affected Him For 9 Months

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

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he expected Smith to have to deal with it for the foreseeable future.

“I just don’t think it’s something that’s gonna go away anytime soon,” Roberts said. “It just kind of is what it is.”

Smith didn't appear to be in too much pain Tuesday night after getting hit by the 79.7 mph sweeper. However, the Dodgers should provide an update on the All-Star catcher soon.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.