Catcher Will Smith was placed on the 10-day injured list by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, a move that appeared to be inevitable for the past week.
Smith, 31, hasn’t appeared in a game since June 5 due to stiffness in his neck. His IL stint is retroactive to June 8, making him eligible to return on June 19.
The Dodgers announced that Smith was going on the IL with neck inflammation. He told reporters that he’s dealing with an inflamed disc in his neck, but termed the injury as “minor,” according to the California Post’s Jack Harris.
Smith has played in 52 games, compiling a slash average of .249/.338/.382 with six home runs, five doubles and 23 RBI in 201 plate appearances. Behind the plate, he’s thrown out five of 29 basestealers while allowing three passed balls and seven wild pitches. Advanced metrics credit him with 4 Defensive Runs Saved, the second-most among MLB catchers.
While Smith has missed the past four games, the Dodgers were playing with Dalton Rushing as the only healthy catcher on the roster. To fill for Smith on the major-league roster, Chuckie Robinson was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he was batting .260/.321/.442.
The Dodgers apparently hoped to avoid putting Smith on the IL, perhaps hoping he could catch Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday. Ohtani allowed four runs (three earned) with six hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings in a 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rushing batted 0-for-4.
But after Smith missed four games, the team decided that they could backdate his stint to the last time he played, meaning he would miss another 10 days.
Rushing will start Thursday’s matchup with the Pirates, but Robinson will get the nod on Friday against the Chicago White Sox, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
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