Smith is back in the Dodgers' Cactus League lineup Thursday against the Diamondbacks.
Smith will start behind the plate and bat third. He didn't get many at-bats for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic while mostly serving as J.T. Realmuto's backup, so the Dodgers figure to push him harder than usual over what remains of the Cactus League schedule. The 27-year-old has gone as the No. 3 catcher-eligible player off the board in most fantasy drafts for 2023, behind only Realmuto and Daulton Varsho.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Expected to bat third
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted Wednesday that Smith will be the team's No. 3 hitter this season, Doug Padilla of the Orange County Register reports. "It's hard to go wrong with [Smith] in the three. A guy that can hit left, hit right, he can drive runs in, values the walk, so makes sense," Roberts said.
Smith most frequently batted out of the cleanup spot in 2022, but Los Angeles' lineup has a different look this season, and Roberts appears to favor moving him up a slot. The backstop should continue to see plenty of opportunities to produce with Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman likely hitting ahead of him, though Smith could play slightly fewer games with the DH slot -- where he started 24 times last year -- now expected to be occupied on a near-everyday basis by J.D. Martinez. Even if that's the case, Smith should have ample opportunity to put up numbers worthy of a top-three catcher in fantasy, which is where he's largely being drafted this spring.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Won't DH as much in 2023
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noted this past weekend that Smith will not DH quite as much in 2023, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
That's because the Dodgers brought in J.D. Martinez over the winter to fill that role on pretty much an everyday basis. Smith drew 24 starts out of the DH spot in 2022, compared to 107 starts at catcher. He could potentially push more toward 120 starts behind the plate in 2023. "The one thing I don't want Will to hear right now is he's gonna get less at-bats," Roberts said. "We're gonna manage it, monitor it and see how it goes."
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Avoids arbitration
Rotowire
Smith and the Dodgers agreed on a one-year, $5.25 million contract Friday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Smith will avoid arbitration after a very productive 2022 campaign in which he batted .260 with 24 homers, 87 RBI, 68 runs and a stolen base over 508 at-bats. Hitting in the heart of a stacked Dodgers' lineup, the 27-year-old will remain one of the best fantasy backstops heading into the 2023 season.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Getting Tuesday off
Rotowire
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Monday's 2-1 loss to the Rockies that Smith will be out of the lineup for Tuesday's game, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Austin Barnes will get the nod behind the plate while Smith gets some rest ahead of the postseason. Smith had started in 10 of the Dodgers' last 11 games, batting .279 with five extra-base hits, six runs and four RBI.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Heads to bench Saturday
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Smith started the last eight games and hit .343 with two home runs, two triples, a double, six runs, four RBI and eight strikeouts. Austin Barnes will take over behind the dish and bat eighth Saturday.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Goes yard in win
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Padres.
Smith continues to see the ball well, as he's posted six multi-hit efforts in his last 11 games. The catcher supplied an insurance run with his solo shot in the eighth inning Thursday, which was his fifth homer in September. He's up to 24 on the year, one shy of his career high, while adding 86 RBI, 66 runs scored, a stolen base, 25 doubles, three triples and a .265/.349/.475 slash line through 133 contests.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Laces homer, triple
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a triple during Saturday's 6-2 victory over St. Louis.
Smith opened the scoring with a solo home run off St. Louis starter Jordan Montgomery in the first inning before adding his third triple of the season in the third. The multi-hit game was the 27-year-old's third in his last four games and he's batting 7-for-16 with a home run and two triples during the current hot streak. Smith's .257 average across 19 September contests represents one of his lowest marks of any month this season, but his .529 slugging is his second-best thanks to half of his 18 hits going for extra bases.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Receives day off
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Diamondbacks, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Smith will sit for the third time in the past five games, and he may continue to receive more rest down the stretch with the Dodgers holding a 9.5-game lead for the best record in the National League. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat seventh Wednesday.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Takes seat for twin bill opener
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup for the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks.
There was a chance Smith would start both games Tuesday had the Dodgers deployed him as the designated hitter in one of them, but with little to play for they will limit their starting catcher to just one start. Austin Barnes will work behind the plate in the first game of the twin bill.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Receives rest day
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith will take a seat for the series finale after a stretch of eight consecutive starts during which he went 7-for-32 (.219 average) with three extra-base hits and four walks. Austin Barnes will replace Smith behind the plate.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Smashes solo shot Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Wednesday's loss to Arizona.
A number of the Dodgers' regular starters sat out the contest, but Smith started at DH and slotted into the No. 3 spot in the order. He boomed a 465-foot solo homer in the fourth inning for Los Angeles' first run, and Trayce Thompson followed with his own long ball to tie the score. Smith is up to 22 homers and a career-high 85 RBI through 513 plate appearances this season. He trails Cal Raleigh by one homer for the lead in that category among big-league backstops.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Gets breather Wednesday
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Smith isn't in the lineup Wednesday against the Giants, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Smith went 0-for-4 during Tuesday's win over San Francisco and will head to the bench for the second time in the last three games. Austin Barnes is taking over behind the dish and batting ninth.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Out of Monday's lineup
Rotowire
Smith is not in Monday's lineup against the Giants, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.
Smith is hitting .248/.333/.468 with seven home runs, 21 runs, 33 RBI and one steal in 37 games in the second half. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and hit ninth.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Goes deep again
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and two walks in a 9-4 win against the Padres on Sunday.
Smith ignited a five-run fourth inning with a solo shot to center off San Diego starter Mike Clevinger and added walks in the fifth and seventh, scoring following the latter. He's batted 3-for-8 with two homers, a double and two walks across his last two contests after going hitless during his previous four. Smith is slashing .264/.353/.475 with 21 home runs, 58 runs and a career-high 80 RBI through 114 games.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Knocks in four runs in rout
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run, a double and four total RBI in a 12-1 win against the Padres on Saturday.
Smith gave the Dodgers a 3-0 lead with his run-scoring double in the third inning, and he landed the finishing blow with his three-run shot to center field in the sixth. The big performance snapped a four-game mini-slump during which the backstop went 0-for-11. Smith leads MLB catchers with 79 RBI on the campaign, and his 20 homers are third at the position behind Willson Contreras and Cal Raleigh.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Sitting out Tuesday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets, according to Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA.
Smith hit a two-run home run in Monday's game, but manager Dave Roberts decided to hold him out Tuesday for the second time in three days. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate in Smith's place.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Receives maintenance day
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game in Miami, Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Austin Barnes will check in behind the dish while Smith rests after catching in both of the Dodgers' last two games. Smith has remained one of baseball's most productive offensive catchers thus far in August, batting .304 on the month with three home runs, 20 RBI, 14 runs and a stolen base in 20 games.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Takes seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Smith isn't starting Wednesday against the Brewers, Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA reports.
Smith started the last six games and slashed .250/.308/.417 with a homer, a walk, eight RBI and three runs across that span. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and bat ninth.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Slugs homer in win
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in a 7-0 win over Miami on Saturday.
Smith hit out of the cleanup spot as the Dodgers' DH in the contest while Austin Barnes started behind the plate. The decision to get Smith's bat into the lineup paid off quickly when he put the Dodgers on the board with a three-run blast to left field in the first inning. Smith is up to 18 homers on the campaign, and his 70 RBI leads all big-league catchers.
