{"id":458041,"date":"2026-09-09T07:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T07:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/458041\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T07:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T07:18:12","slug":"catcher-will-smith-shows-how-much-he-was-missed-as-dodgers-beat-reds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/458041\/","title":{"rendered":"Catcher Will Smith shows how much he was missed as Dodgers beat Reds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even Dodgers<\/a> catcher Will Smith<\/a>, who\u2019d never be accused of wearing his emotions on his sleeve, was a little worried during his monthslong absence because of a persistent neck injury that he might not be healthy by the end of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018It was kind of the \u2018who knows how long it\u2019s going to take,\u2019\u201d Smith said when the Dodgers activated him at the beginning of the month. \u201cBut at some point I was going to be fed up and just kind of deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

It apparently didn\u2019t come to that. And in the Dodgers\u2019 3-2 win against<\/a> the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, Smith\u2019s fifth time in the lineup since returning from the injured list, he put the Dodgers ahead with a first-inning home run and guided Dodgers left-handed starter Tarik Skubal through 7 \u2153 innings of two-run ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe called a great game,\u201d Skubal said of his Team USA teammate. \u201cAnd the targets that he sets up, and the way that he goes about it, he gives me a ton of confidence back there.\u201d<\/p>\n

A neck problem that was initially expected to resolve on its own in a few days turned into a nearly three-month IL stint. With the revolving door behind the plate in Smith\u2019s absence, getting him back down the stretch and into the postseason was going to be key.<\/p>\n

While Smith was on the IL, backup catcher Dalton Rushing was thrown into the starting role, learning how to balance the defensive responsibility of serving as the main backstop at the major-league level with a desire to also contribute offensively.<\/p>\n

Rushing seemed to be getting the hang of it, with Chuckie Robinson and then Eli\u00e9zer Alfonzo behind him, before he hurt his right elbow right before the trade deadline. The Dodgers traded for an entirely new catching duo, Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt, who held down the position until Smith\u2019s return.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was frustrating early,\u201d Smith said. \u201cJust looking for answers why it was taking longer, but we finally got those answers. And then it was kind of a pretty straightforward process from there. So last month or two hasn\u2019t been too bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith and the Dodgers sought multiple doctors\u2019 opinions. He was eventually diagnosed with an annular tear and given two possible recovery timelines. Though they proceeded with hope for the earlier return, the longer one came to fruition.<\/p>\n

Now, the Dodgers are carrying three catchers, trying not to overwork Smith in his first weeks back. He\u2019ll be out of the lineup Wednesday and play two of three games in Miami, manager Dave Roberts said.<\/p>\n

With Rushing back on the IL for the same elbow injury, Feduccia can also serve as a left-handed bat off the bench, and Alfonzo gives the team more substitution flexibility.<\/p>\n

Entering Tuesday, Smith had already thrown out three baserunners attempting to steal in his first week back in action. But despite some hard contact, hits weren\u2019t falling for him. He went two for 17 with a single and a double in the same time period.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill is just very consistent, dependable,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cI know he\u2019s taking really good at-bats. Hitting some balls to the warning track.\u201d <\/p>\n

On Tuesday, batting third in the lineup against Reds left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, he showcased the kind of influence he can make on both sides of the ball.<\/p>\n

In Smith\u2019s first at-bat, he battled for nine pitches, finally lifting a changeup over the left field wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really good to see,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cWith Will, it\u2019s just great having him in there because you know you can count on the at-bat quality, and obviously having him behind the plate has been good.\u201d <\/p>\n

The next inning the Dodgers (88-57<\/a>) doubled their score when Tommy Edman \u2014 hitting in the leadoff spot in place of Shohei Ohtani (right biceps and left knee), who was out of the lineup Tuesday as the Dodgers ease him back from a four-day absence over the weekend \u2014 was hit in the leg by a pitch with the bases loaded.<\/p>\n

The Reds then tied the score in the third, as Elly De La Cruz launched a two-run homer off Skubal. But the Dodgers pulled ahead again two innings later, courtesy of the red-hot bat Teoscar Hern\u00e1ndez has been swinging in September.<\/p>\n

\"Tarik <\/p>\n

Tarik Skubal pitches in the second inning Tuesday.<\/p>\n

(Eric Thayer \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Hern\u00e1ndez avenged his ill-fated inside-the-park home run attempt \u2014 he was thrown out at the plate on an aggressive send two innings earlier \u2014 with a well-struck RBI single.<\/p>\n

Skubal wrapped up his deepest start of his Dodgers tenure to a standing ovation. He\u2019d limited the Reds to just four hits, while recording five strikeouts in an efficient performance.<\/p>\n

Flame-throwing reliever Edgardo Henriquez replaced Skubal, tasked with recording the last two outs of the eighth. He did so with the help of an ABS challenge from Smith that secured an inning-ending strikeout.<\/p>\n

Lefty Tanner Scott earned the save, retiring three straight batters after a leadoff walk, and the Dodgers extended their winning streak to six games.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the last stretch,\u201d Smith said at the beginning of the month. \u201cWe\u2019re fighting for seeding as well. So yeah, it\u2019s definitely time to step on the gas.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Even Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who\u2019d never be accused of wearing his emotions on his sleeve, was a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":458042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[103193,163547,426,180673,48,52,51,6131,47,50,49,3906,141588,21949,71018,10368,168309,1573,10196,68,180672],"class_list":["post-458041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag--innings","tag-absence","tag-dodgers","tag-hunter-feduccia","tag-la","tag-la-headlines","tag-la-news","tag-lineup","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-headlines","tag-los-angeles-news","tag-month","tag-next-inning","tag-pitch","tag-reds","tag-score","tag-skubal","tag-smith","tag-strikeout","tag-tuesday","tag-two-run-ball"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=458041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/458041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/458042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=458041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=458041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=458041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}