Smith is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Smith started the previous six games and will receive a day off after going 5-for-19 with three walks, a homer, three RBI and four runs during that stretch. Dalton Rushing will step in behind the plate and bat seventh for the series finale in Anaheim.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Swats homer out of leadoff spot
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in a 5-2 win against San Francisco on Thursday.
For the first time in his career, Smith was inserted into the lineup as the Dodgers' leadoff hitter. He wasted little time making the move look like a stroke of genius, launching his fourth homer of the campaign to lead off Los Angeles' half of the first inning. Smith's eye at the plate and contact skills are befitting of a leadoff hitter, but he isn't likely to slot into that role often. Shohei Ohtani, who typically bats atop the order, was given a second straight day off from hitting Thursday as part of a plan to help him reset, but the two-way star is expected to be back in the lineup Friday versus the Angels.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Batting leadoff
Rotowire
Smith is leading off as the designated hitter Thursday versus the Giants, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
This is the first time in Smith's MLB career that he is hitting leadoff. He is taking over Shohei Ohtani's position and spot in the lineup Thursday while Dalton Rushing starts behind the plate. Smith has an underwhelming .229/.317/.371 slash line with two doubles and a homer through 10 games in May.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Idle Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against Atlanta.
Smith will receive a breather for the series finale after going 1-for-7 with a walk while starting behind the plate during the first two contests of the series. Dalton Rushing will handle catching duties for the finale versus Atlanta.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Exiting starting nine
Rotowire
Smith is absent from the lineup for Wednesday's contest in Houston.
Smith started at catcher in the first two games of the series, so he will get some rest during Wednesday's matinee. Dalton Rushing will be behind the dish and bat seventh in the rubber match.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Knocks three hits Monday
Rotowire
Smith went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a run and an RBI in an 8-3 win against Houston on Monday.
Smith got a rest day Sunday and responded to his return to the lineup with his third three-hit performance of the season. The All-Star backstop's knocks included a pair of doubles, which were his first extra-base hits since April 24. Smith's power has been somewhat lacking this season -- he has a modest three home runs and three doubles through 30 games -- but he's slashing a nice .280/.348/.400 with 12 runs, 16 RBI and an 11:19 BB:K.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Getting Sunday off
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
Smith will take a seat after going 1-for-6 with two walks and a strikeout in the first two games of the series. Dalton Rushing is taking over behind the plate and batting sixth for the Dodgers.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Dealing with back tightness
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the starting lineup Saturday versus the Cubs due to a tight back, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.
Manager Dave Roberts explained that Smith's back is "a little tight" but said he expects the catcher to be back behind the plate Sunday. It doesn't sound like Smith is dealing with anything serious, but fantasy managers who roster the backstop will certainly be relieved if he does indeed miss just one game. Dalton Rushing is starting at catcher for the Dodgers in Smith's stead Saturday.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Getting rest Saturday
Rotowire
Smith is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's matchup against the Cubs, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.
Smith belted a three-run homer Friday, but he'll begin the middle contest of the three-game series on the bench. That will give Dalton Rushing, who is having a big season as Smith's backup, another chance to start. Smith figures to be back in the lineup Sunday for the series finale.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Idle Thursday
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.
After going 0-for-9 with a walk and two strikeouts over his last three games, Smith will step aside Thursday while the red-hot Dalton Rushing starts behind the plate and bats seventh.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: On bench Saturday
Rotowire
Smith isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Kirsten Watson of Spectrum SportsNet LA reports.
Smith went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored Friday to extend his hitting streak to four games, but he'll grab a seat on the bench to begin Saturday's game. Dalton Rushing will start at catcher and bat seventh for Los Angeles.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Resting up Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
After starting behind the plate in each of the past four games, Smith will get a chance to catch his breath while the Dodgers wrap up their series with Texas. Dalton Rushing will get the nod at catcher and will bat eighth.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Not in Monday's lineup
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Blue Jays.
Smith will hit the bench for a second straight game, with Dalton Rushing working behind home plate and batting eighth. The decision to hold Smith out is a deliberate one, with Dodgers manager Dave Roberts noting Monday that he wants Smith to be the catcher for Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani for Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Smith has gone 8-for-29 (.276 average) with two home runs and five RBI to open the season.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Getting breather Sunday
Rotowire
Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
Smith started the previous four games behind the plate and will receive Sunday off after going 5-for-17 with a walk and two runs during that stretch. Dalton Rushing will handle the catching for righty Roki Sasaki in the series finale.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Belts winning homer on birthday
Rotowire
Smith went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 3-2 win against Arizona.
It was a big day for the All-Star catcher, who not only celebrated his 31st birthday but also was the subject of a bobblehead giveaway at Dodger Stadium. After failing to reach base in his first three plate appearances, Smith came through in the clutch, smacking a two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to flip a one-run deficit into a one-run lead. Smith's 2025 campaign concluded with a game-winning homer in Game 7 of the World Series, and he's off to a fast start in 2026, slashing .273/.273/.818 with two long balls and five RBI through three games.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Homers on Opening Day
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in an 8-2 victory versus Arizona on Thursday.
Smith's first RBI came on an infield single in the fifth inning. He followed up that hit with a two-run blast in the seventh frame to cap the scoring in the contest. Smith probably isn't going to challenge for the NL home run crown, but he's been pretty consistent in the long-ball department with between 17 and 25 homers each of the past five regular seasons. He batted .296 across 436 plate appearances during the regular season last year and is one of fantasy's most productive backstops.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Swats first homer of spring
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, an additional run and a double Thursday in a Cactus League victory over the White Sox.
Smith hit his -- and the Dodgers' -- first homer of the spring when he belted a solo shot to left-center field in the fifth inning. The All-Star catcher's previous long ball came in the 11th inning of Game 7 of the World Series last season and proved to be the championship-winning RBI. Smith hasn't missed a beat, as he's slashing .556/.556/1.000 so far this spring. He's locked in for another year as Los Angeles' starting catcher.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Clubs game-winning homer in Game 7
Rotowire
Smith went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Saturday in a 5-4 extra-innings win in Game 7 of the World Series versus Toronto.
Smith scored Los Angeles' first run of the game in the fourth inning when he led off the frame with a double and eventually came home on a Teoscar Hernandez sacrifice fly. The All-Star catcher then came through with the biggest hit of his career in the top of the 11th inning, clubbing a two-out solo homer that proved to be the winning run as the Dodgers repeated as champions. Smith ended up catching all 73 innings of the series, setting a World Series record. He recorded at least one hit in six of the seven contests, batting .267 overall with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI and four runs scored.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: In Game 3 lineup
Rotowire
Smith (hand) will start at catcher and bat fifth against the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS on Wednesday.
Smith's fractured right hand kept him on the bench for the Dodgers' first four postseason games, though he was able to deliver a two-run single off the bench in Game 2 on Monday. He'll now return to the starting nine and provide the Dodgers with another power bat while the team looks to punch its ticket to the NLCS.
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Dodgers' Will Smith: Out of Game 1 lineup
Rotowire
Smith (hand) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Phillies, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Smith said before Saturday's contest that his fractured right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to return behind the plate at some point in the NLDS, but the Dodgers will keep him out of the starting nine for at least one more game. Ben Rortvedt will catch for starter Shohei Ohtani while Smith rests.
