LOS ANGELES — Will Smith was originally in the Dodgers lineup for what would have been a second straight day, but was a very late scratch, with Ben Rortvedt doing the catching instead against the Rockies and starting for the fourth time in the last five games.
The Dodgers announced during the third inning that Smith was scratched due to right-hande soreness.
Smith is having a fantastic season, his third straight year making the All-Star team. He’s hitting .296/.404/.407 with 17 home runs, 64 walks, and a 153 wRC+. Entering Wednesday he was 14 plate appearances shy of qualifying for the leaderboard, but among National League batters with at least 400 PA Smith is first in on-base percentage, second in batting average, and third in wRC+.
We’ll probably find out more after the game, including whether this is a concerning injury going forward or more of a precaution with the team using Thursday’s scheduled off day to give Smith extra rest with this impromptu sitting.