Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith progressed in his recovery from an inflamed disc in his neck over the past week, resuming baseball activities as he works to return before the postseason.
Manager Dave Roberts revealed Smith has been pain-free in his neck over the past week, and that he began lifting weights, throwing and swinging the bat.
Smith went down with neck stiffness towards the beginning of June, initially citing neck stiffness as the issue before making a move to the 10-day injured list on June 11. The Dodgers moved him to the 60-day IL on July 21, and completely shut him down from baseball activities shortly after.
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The catcher played 52 games for the Dodgers before his injury sidelined him, and hadn’t performed at the same level he had during his strong 2025 campaign. He logged six homers and drove in 23 RBIs, posting just a .720 OPS on the year—far lower than his .901 mark from last year’s championship effort.
LA doesn’t have any reason to rush Smith back, as Dalton Rushing has been serviceable since taking over as the team’s primary backstop. He isn’t eligible to return until Aug. 7, but will almost certainly take a little more time away from MLB as he looks to ramp up to top shape before the postseason.
Jun 16, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith during batting practice before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
How Has Dalton Rushing Performed as the Starter?
Rushing inevitably saw his OPS drop from the high .800s after his move to full-time starter, but has still been decent since stepping into a new role.
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He has played 33 games since June 11, slashing .213/.312/.383 for a 93 wRC+ during that stretch. He has definitely improved in July, though, posting a .797 OPS with a 118 wRC+ over the course of this month.
Rushing will still get some opportunities when Smith comes back, likely giving him the occasional rest day on back-to-back days, and will look to cut out a larger role for himself with his remaining opportunities before Smith’s return.
His next opportunity to do some comes on Tuesday, when the Dodgers play their first home game since before the All-Star break against the Seattle Mariners. Rushing will bat ninth and catch Justin Wrobleski as they aim to extend their almost insurmountable lead in the NL West. That game begins at 7:10 p.m. PT.
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