Thu Jul 3 | 19:11 | Will Smith Absent Against White Sox |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off against the Chicago White Sox in Thursday's series finale at Dodger Stadium. Rookie Dalton Rushing is behind the plate to catch right-hander Dustin May and will bat eighth against White Sox right-hander Aaron Civale. It's an odd day to give Smith the day off after he went 3-for-5 with a home run in the first two games of the series against the Pale Hose, and he's also 2-for-2 in his career against Civale with two solo home runs. But the Dodgers will keep the 30-year-old fresh for the stretch run as he remains one of the best offensive-minded backstops in the league. Smith, a former first-rounder, is slashing a strong .324/.425/.547 on the year with a .972 OPS, 11 homers, 44 RBI, 43 runs and two steals in 225 at-bats. Rushing isn't the worst DFS sleeper at catcher but has gone 11-for-52 (.212) with only one homer in his first 18 MLB games. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Jun 25 | 19:24 | Will Smith Out on Wednesday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will grab some pine to start Wednesday's contest at Coors Field against the division-rival Colorado Rockies. Rookie Dalton Rushing will be the battery mate for right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and will hit ninth against Rockies rookie right-hander Chase Dollander. Smith is just receiving a regular day off. The two-time All-Star is hitting a cool .330 (69-for-209) on the year with nine home runs, 42 RBI, 39 runs scored and two stolen bases. The former first-rounder continues to be a must-start catcher in fantasy when he's on the field in one of the best lineups in baseball. Rushing has held his own as the backup to Smith in his first taste of big-league pitching, batting .244 (11-for-45) with a homer, nine RBI and eight runs scored in 16 games. His DFS upside is limited in the nine-hole, but it's still Coors Field against a struggling rookie hurler. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Jun 18 | 18:49 | Will Smith Absent From Wednesday's Lineup |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres. This appears to be a routine rest day for Smith who has started in each of the last two games. During that span, Smith is 5-for-8 at the plate with two doubles, one home run, and two RBI. Smith has earned himself a day off with how well he has been playing over the last few weeks. In his absence, Dalton Rushing will take over behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Stephen Kolek on Wednesday. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Jun 18 | 07:40 | Will Smith Doubles, Homers in Win Over Padres |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith had a productive evening in an 8-6 win over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday. Smith went 3-for-4 with a double, a homer, two runs, and two RBI in the win. The veteran catcher broke a 3-3 tie when he ripped a two-run homer to left-center field in the seventh inning. Smith is putting together an excellent season at the plate, slashing .330/.426/.521 with 14 doubles, seven homers, 35 runs, 40 RBI, and two stolen bases across 194 at-bats. He remains one of the better catchers in all of fantasy. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Jun 10 | 18:44 | Will Smith Riding the Bench on Tuesday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith heads to the bench ahead of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres. Smith is absent from the starting lineup after starting in each of the last three games. During that span, Smith went 3-for-13 with a home run, three RBI, and a walk. In his absence, Dalton Rushing will start behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Dylan Cease. Smith has been seeing more time on the bench lately, but that is likely due to the emergence of Rushing. Fantasy managers shouldn't be worried as Smith is hitting well enough to remain a mainstay in the lineup. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Tue Jun 10 | 10:19 | Will Smith Smacks Sixth Homer |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Monday's 8-7 road win against the San Diego Padres. He also picked up an RBI on a sac fly. Smith went yard for the sixth time this season in the top of the third off Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta, scoring teammate Freddie Freeman to give LA a 5-3 lead. He's been superb this season, batting .320 (56-for-175) with the second-highest on-base percentage in the league (.423) behind only Aaron Judge. The Louisville product is chasing at his lowest rate since 2020 (18.8%), and drawing a walk at a 15.0% clip, which puts him amongst the top 5% of all hitters. |
Source: ESPN | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Jun 4 | 18:37 | Will Smith Sitting Out on Wednesday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the New York Mets. Smith will now sit out for the second time in this series. He has been struggling lately going 0-for-9 over his last three games, so it makes sense to rest him on Wednesday. In his absence, Dalton Rushing will start behind the plate and bat eighth versus right-hander Griffin Canning. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups ahead of first pitch. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Mon Jun 2 | 19:01 | Will Smith Resting Against Mets |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off in Monday's series opener at Dodger Stadium against the visiting New York Mets. Rookie Dalton Rushing is behind the plate to catch right-hander Dustin May and will hit eighth against Mets right-hander Paul Blackburn, who is coming off the injured list to make his first start of the season. Smith will take a seat after starting each of the team's last four games. The 30-year-old veteran continues to be one of the best hitting catchers in baseball in one of the best lineups in the game. Smith, a former first-rounder, is slashing a strong .333/.444/.503 with a 948 OPS, five home runs, 30 RBI, 25 runs scored and two stolen bases on the year. Rushing hasn't seen a ton of playing time in his first seven games, but has gone 6-for-22 (.273) with a homer and seven RBI. He'll have little DFS upside in the eight-hole on Monday, though. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed May 21 | 21:08 | Will Smith Sitting Wednesday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Diamondbacks. Dalton Rushing will get the start behind the plate instead. Smith doesn't get the luxury of starting at DH on his rest days like he used to earlier in his career, and he now is expected to rest a couple of days per week to get Rushing acclimated to the majors. He's still making the most of his playing time, as he's batting .339 on the year. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Thu May 15 | 20:35 | Will Smith Retreats To The Bench |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the day off for Thursday's series finale against the visiting Athletics. Top prospect Dalton Rushing will do the catching for right-handed opener Matt Sauer for the first start of his career and will hit seventh against A's right-hander Osvaldo Bido. Fantasy managers that have Smith rostered shouldn't be worried that Rushing is going to steal playing time away from him, as Smith should continue to see the vast majority of playing time behind the dish in L.A. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star has been one of the best fantasy catchers yet again through his first 111 at-bats in 2025, slashing .324/.435/.477 with a .912 OPS, three home runs, 21 RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases in one of the best lineups in baseball. Smith should be back behind the dish for Friday's series opener against the crosstown-rival Los Angeles Angels. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sat May 10 | 18:36 | Will Smith Gets Night Off On Saturday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will head to the bench ahead of Saturday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. This appears to be a routine rest day for Smith who has started each of the first two games of this series. As a result, Smith will take the night off and Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus right-hander Corbin Burnes. Fantasy managers should adjust their lineups accordingly ahead of first pitch. The expectation is that Smith will be back in the lineup ahead of Sunday's contest. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed May 7 | 14:28 | Will Smith Sitting On Wednesday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is getting the day off on Wednesday when the Dodgers play the final game of a three-game set against the Miami Marlins. The backstop started in each of the first two games of the series and has gone 2-for-9 with a double. As a result, Austin Barnes will get the nod this afternoon behind the dish and will bat in the nine-hole. Fantasy managers should expect Smith to return to the starting nine on Thursday when they begin a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Through his first 29 games of the season, Smith has posted a strong .309/.398/.479 slash line with three home runs and two stolen bases. He has generated an elite .376 xwOBA with an impressive 15.5 percent barrel rate. Barnes could be worth a look as a value play in DFS facing Miami right-hander Valente Bellozo. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Apr 30 | 12:51 | Tommy Edman, Will Smith Resting Against Marlins |
Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Tommy Edman and catcher Will Smith are both taking a seat for Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Miami Marlins. The hot-hitting Andy Pages is starting in center field and batting fifth, while Austin Barnes is doing the catching and hitting in the nine-hole against Marlins right-hander Cal Quantrill. Enrique Hernandez is at second and is hitting seventh. Pages is among the hottest hitters in baseball right now, as he comes into Wednesday's contest riding a seven-game hitting streak in which he's gone 17-for-29 with three doubles, four home runs, eight RBI, three steals and nine runs scored. Edman has been on the bench for two of the last three games and has gone 3-for-19 in his last six games. It's just a regular rest day for Smith, who is hitting a strong .316 (24-for-76) in the early going with three homers and 17 RBI for the Blue. |
Source: 570 LA Sports - David Vassegh | RotoBaller.com |
Sun Apr 27 | 16:09 | Will Smith Resting On Sunday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Smith returned from the injured list on Friday, but has gone hitless over the last two games. That being said, the Dodgers have decided to give Smith the day off on Sunday to rest and hopefully get back on track. In his absence, Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth against left-hander Bailey Falter. Fantasy managers can pull Smith from their lineups on Sunday ahead of first pitch. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |
Fri Apr 25 | 18:24 | Will Smith Back From Injury On Friday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (wrist) is back behind the plate to catch right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and is hitting sixth against the Pittsburgh Pirates and right-hander Paul Skenes for Friday's series opener at Dodger Stadium. Smith injured his left wrist in the loss to the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and sat out of the series finale on Wednesday, but after an additional day off on Thursday, he's good to go on Friday. While those setting DFS lineups on Friday evening shouldn't consider Smith's matchup against Skenes to be an attractive one, the 30-year-old veteran should be returned to lineups in single-year fantasy formats. Smith comes into Friday's action hitting a robust .350/.453/.567 with a 1.02 OPS, three home runs, 15 RBI and eight runs scored in 60 at-bats. In three career at-bats against Skenes, he has one hit. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Apr 23 | 17:51 | Will Smith Out With Sore Wrist On Wednesday |
Updating a previous report, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (wrist) woke up with a sore left wrist on Wednesday morning after injuring it while tagging out Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ on a play at the plate in the sixth inning of Tuesday's extra-inning loss. Smith isn't too concerned about it, but it's the reason why he's out of Wednesday's series finale at Wrigley Field. With a day off on Thursday, it sounds like there's a good chance that he will be back in action in L.A. for Friday's series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Austin Barnes is catching and batting ninth on Wednesday against Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd. Fantasy managers have to be crossing their fingers that Smith's wrist injury doesn't linger and ruin what has been an excellent start to his 2025 season. Through 20 games, the two-time All-Star is slashing .350/.453/.567 with a 1.02 OPS, three homers and 15 RBI. |
Source: 570 LA Sports - David Vassegh | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Apr 23 | 17:01 | Will Smith Resting At Wrigley |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will get a rest day on Wednesday versus the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Austin Barnes will do the catching in what will be a bullpen day for the Dodgers' pitching staff and will hit ninth against Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd. Smith had a 2-for-4 day in a wild 11-10 loss to Chicago in 10 innings on Tuesday night and hit his third home run of the season while driving in two runs. The 30-year-old former first-rounder has been on fire at the plate in his first 60 at-bats in 2025, recording 21 hits for a .350 batting average to go along with 15 RBI, a steal, eight runs scored, a .453 on-base percentage, .567 slugging percentage and 1.02 OPS. The two-time All-Star won't keep this pace up, but it's a reminder he is still a high-end offensive threat at the weak catching position. Barnes is a low-upside DFS option on Wednesday and has never faced Boyd in his career. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Apr 16 | 19:50 | Will Smith Resting In Series Finale Against Rockies |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will start on the bench in Wednesday's series finale against the division-rival Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Austin Barnes will do the catching for right-hander Bobby Miller and will hit in the nine-hole against Rockies right-hander German Marquez. The 30-year-old Smith remains one of the best hitting catchers in baseball and has been proving it early on in 2025, slashing .367/.475/.551 with a 1.026 OPS, two home runs, 12 RBI, six runs scored and a stolen base in 49 total at-bats. He hit his second homer in Tuesday's 6-2 win. He's been especially hot the last three games, going 6-for-12 with a homer and five runs driven in. Although Barnes has hit .286 with a homer and three RBI in 14 career at-bats against Marquez, he'll have little DFS upside at the bottom of the batting order on Wednesday. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Wed Apr 16 | 06:08 | Will Smith Homers In Win Over Rockies On Tuesday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith turned in a big game in a 6-2 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. Smith went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer to help down Colorado. The veteran catcher launched a three-run homer off Colorado starter Ryan Feltner in the third inning, a blast that gave the Dodgers a 4-0 lead. Smith is off to a fast start in 2025, hitting .367 with two homers, six runs, 12 RBI, and one stolen base across 49 at-bats. He remains one of the premier offensive catchers in all of fantasy. |
Source: MLB.com | RotoBaller.com |
Sat Apr 12 | 18:30 | Will Smith Sitting Out On Saturday |
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Chicago Cubs. Fantasy managers don't need to worry as this appears to routine rest day for Smith. He has been struggling lately with three hits over his last five games. In his absence, Austin Barnes will cover behind the plate and bat ninth versus right-hander Ben Brown. Barnes is a viable backup catcher, but isn't someone worth rostering in fantasy formats with Smith healthy. |
Source: mlb.com | RotoBaller.com |