Dodgers All-Star Reveals New Injury After Unexpectedly Being Out of Lineup..
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup for Wednesday’s series finale against the Chicago Cubs had a surprising omission. All-Star catcher Will Smith, who didn’t play this past Sunday and then had a team off-day Monday, was out of the lineup for Wednesday’s game, too. While the Dodgers have been cautious with Smith this year as the team’s everyday catcher, their off-day on Thursday made Wednesday’s game an obvious start. More news: Dodgers Manager Hints at Roster Move After Brutal Loss to Cubs Smith revealed to David Vassegh of AM570 radio ahead of Wednesday’s game that the reason he is out of the lineup was due to a minor injury he suffered Tuesday night. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Smith banged his wrist while tagging out Ian Happ at a play at the plate. Smith said he woke up with his wrist feeling sore, and manager Dave Roberts elected to give him the extra day to recuperate. Here’s a video of the play, in
which Happ was called out after review: Neither Roberts nor Smith were concerned about the injury, with Roberts saying Smith’s status will be based on his pain tolerance levels. Smith is off to a red-hot start this season, slashing .350/.453/.567 with three home runs, 15 runs batted in, and an OPS of 1.020. He’s already generated 1.0 fWAR and has been sensational with runners in scoring position, slashing .733/.684/1.067 with 13 RBIs in 19 such plate appearances. On Wednesday, though, the Dodgers will be without Smith, and backup catcher Austin Barnes will be in the lineup filling in. More news: Blockbuster Trade Ideas for Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs to Fix Biggest Weaknesses Barnes has struggled early this season, going just 2-for-19 (.105) with two RBIs, seven strikeouts, and an OPS of .263. The Dodgers will thus rely on the top of the lineup to carry the load against Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, who enters Wednesday’s contest with a 2.01 ERA across 22.1 innings this year. Boyd faced the Dodgers two weeks ago, allowing three earned runs across six innings of work with seven strikeouts in a 3-0 Cubs loss. First pitch for Wednesday night’s game is 4 p.m. PT at Wrigley Field. This will be the seventh and final game these teams play this regular season, with each team having won three apiece thus far. More news: Dodgers Not Best in West, Braves in Trouble, and the Biggest Surprises of the 2025 MLB Season Thus Far
Dodgers Manager Hints at Roster Move After Brutal Loss to Cubs..
The Los Angeles Dodgers were on the wrong end of a wild game against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night, losing 11-10 in 10 innings. The Cubs hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning down to their last out. They then won the game on the first pitch of the bottom of the 10th inning. More news: Blockbuster Trade Ideas for Dodgers, Yankees, Cubs to Fix Biggest Weaknesses After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hinted at the team potentially making a roster move ahead of Wednesday’s second and final game of the series. “There might be a pending move for some length potentially,” Roberts said to reporters after Tuesday night’s game. “But I’m gonna talk to the pitching guys here shortly and figure out where we’re at.” The Dodgers were planning on utilizing a bullpen game on Wednesday, with an off-day on Thursday. The Dodgers also had a day off on Monday, giving them extra rest this week. However, the Dodgers were forced to use seven pitchers on Tuesday night after starter Dustin May
struggled through five innings. The Dodgers used most of their high-leverage arms on Tuesday, meaning Wednesday would likely have to be pieced together with the likes of right-handers Evan Phillips, Ben Casparius, and Noah Davis, and left-hander Jack Dreyer. Thus, the Dodgers could look to Triple-A to get some length for Wednesday’s game – and they have a few options. The Dodgers could elect to reinstate right-hander Tony Gonsolin from the injured list. The Dodgers wanted him to make at least one more start in Triple-A, and he was scheduled to pitch on Wednesday. However, the team could instead use him at the Major League level, where he could try to give them up to five innings. The Dodgers could also recall right-hander Matt Sauer, who has a 1.54 ERA across 11.2 innings at Triple-A this season. He last pitched on April 18 in Triple-A – throwing 3.2 innings – so he would be able to give the team some length. More news: Dodgers Not Best in West, Braves in Trouble and the Biggest Surprises of the 2025 MLB Season Thus Far The Dodgers are not yet able to recall any of Justin Wrobleski, Landon Knack, or Bobby Miller as they were sent down within the last 15 days, unless the team is placing someone on the injured list. The Dodgers and Cubs play at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, so a roster move would be announced before then.
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