Dodgers Could Lose All-Star to Injured List in Concerning Development

The Los Angeles Dodgers will play the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday without Will Smith. The 31-year-old catcher was not in the lineup for the third consecutive game because of lingering stiffness in his neck.

#Dodgers Dave Roberts said Will Smith hit a little bit today, and played catch but “still doesn’t feel right”. He added that he mostly feels his neck stiffness on the swing, and is still day to day at the moment, but a possible IL stint is on the table.
— Kirsten Watson (@kirsten_watson) June 9, 2026

Teams are allowed to backdate the beginning of an injured list stint by three days. If the Dodgers wanted to place Smith on the 10-day injured list, and have him miss the minimal amount of time necessary, they needed do so by June 9 since he last played June 5.

Smith remains active for now. However, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged to reporters that an IL stint is becoming "more a possibility" for the catcher.

“I think that now the IL is more of a possibility when you’re talking about with a position player it’s 10 days and then the back-date thought,” Roberts said before Tuesday’s game. “We’re starting to talk about that.”

Dave Roberts said Will Smith remains day-to-day, but that the injured list is becoming “more a possibility”

Smith did some swinging and catch play today, but would still probably need another day of work tomorrow before potentially being ready to return https://t.co/dBByuhH8XZ
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) June 9, 2026

Dalton Rushing is catching and batting eighth in the series opener against the Pirates and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes.

Squatting behind the plate for nine innings, and swinging a bat, are two different physical actions entirely. However, Roberts said Smith mostly feels his neck stiffness on the swing.

Smith was a late lineup scratch from Saturday's game against the Angels at Dodger Stadium. He hasn't been seen since going 0-for-2 with a walk in the Dodgers' 1-0 win over the Angels this past Friday.

Roberts told reporters Sunday that he didn't believe Smith's injury is serious. That might prove to be the case. For at least two games, however, Smith is costing the Dodgers an active roster spot if he's unable to pinch hit.

"He just still doesn’t feel right,” Roberts said. “I don’t know what the thought is or where we’re at on the imaging piece of it. So it’s still a day-to-day situation. But for me, just talking to him, talking to the trainers, I would like him to go through a full day before he plays. So that would probably take tomorrow off the table. And then we’ll kind of go from there.”

Dave Roberts didn’t commit to Will Smith being back in the lineup Tuesday. Travel is obviously a factor. But Roberts said Smith got a scan on his neck and they don’t believe it’s anything serious. https://t.co/MJ4l2VH3CI
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 8, 2026

Smith is slashing .249/.338/.382 in his eighth MLB season. A National League All-Star each of the last three years, the catcher was in a bit of a slump at the plate before he was sidelined by the injury. Smith is 2-for-15 since a single in his first plate appearance May 30.

Rushing has cooled considerably since he started the season 12-for-27 (.444) with seven home runs in eight games. His home run against the Angels on Sunday — his second game in a 24-hour span — was his first since April 20.

Overall, Rushing is slashing .287/.363/.564 in 35 games this season. He can make up for Smith's absence at the plate, but needs to make some strides defensively to catch up to his older teammate.

The question is not if Rushing can fill in for Smith, but rather if the Dodgers can afford carrying an injured player on their bench much longer.

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