Dodgers All-Star Opens Up on Unfortunate Injury That's Affected Him For 9 Months

Will Smith is no stranger to the wear and tear that comes with being a Major League catcher.

But for months, he has been dealing with a bone bruise on his ankle — an injury that didn’t come from catching.

Eight months ago, Smith awkwardly slid into second base at Yankee Stadium while trying to break up a double play. He rolled his left ankle on the late slide and has been managing the lingering effects ever since.

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

Despite the injury, he never missed time, starting a career-high 117 games at catcher while receiving daily treatment.

“It wasn’t, like, horrible," Smith added. "There were definitely different days. … I don’t think it affected anything. Something to manage really.”

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He gave his ankle some rest this offseason but still felt discomfort through the first five innings of his Cactus League debut.

"You can do all sorts of treatment and everything," Smith said, "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."

Smith got off to a strong start in 2024 after signing a 10-year, $140 million extension, hitting .347 with a .929 OPS through 30 games. But his production dipped as the season progressed—he hit .215 the rest of the way and posted career lows in batting average (.247), on-base percentage (.327), slugging (.433), and OPS (.760). After the All-Star break, he hit just .206 with five home runs in 48 games and struggled in the postseason, batting .143.

While Smith didn’t cite the injury at the time, he now acknowledges it "might have" played a role in his offensive struggles.

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Manager Dave Roberts also believes the ankle affected Smith at the plate.

"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."

Smith has worked on refining his swing with what he calls "super technical stuff" and is aiming for a stronger 2025 season.

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