Will Smith - Page 40 - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Sitting Wednesday Smith is not in Wednesday's lineup against the Rockies, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact He is hitting .261 with two home runs in 23 at-bats. Austin Barnes will start behind the dish and bat eighth.

APRIL 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Betts, Bauer star for new fans as Dodgers crush Rockies 7-0

Mookie Betts homered and Trevor Bauer pitched seven innings of one-hit ball in both veterans’ first home games in front of their new Dodgers fans

APRIL 14, 2021 • Associated Press

Receives breather Sunday Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Impact Smith started the past three games behind the plate but will take a seat Sunday after going 1-for-10 with one double, one run and two walks. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate and bat eighth in the series finale.

APRIL 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Taylor's homer propels Dodgers to 9-5 win over Nationals

Chris Taylor hit a three-run homer and Zach McKinstry made big plays with his bat and arm as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Washington Nationals 9-5

APRIL 11, 2021 • Associated Press

Not in lineup Smith will head to the bench Tuesday against Oakland, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact The Dodgers made it clear over the offseason that Smith would handle a lighter workload than is typical for a starting catcher, and they've backed those words up thus far. Smith will sit for the third time in the first six games of the year, with Austin Barnes continuing to serve as Clayton Kershaw's personal catcher. Smith has been everything he's supposed to be when available, going 5-for-10 with a pair of homers, two doubles and four walks, but the playing-time concerns aren't going away any time soon.

APRIL 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Reaches base four times Smith went 1-for-3 with a home run and three walks during Monday's win over the Athletics.

Impact Smith reached safely in four of his six plate appearances while also launching his second long ball of the season, and he's now hit safely in his last three contests while going deep in back-to-back contests. He's undoubtedly providing solid offense from a position where the elite offensive alternatives are quite limited.

APRIL 6, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Homers by Smith, Turner help Dodgers rout winless A's 10-3

Will Smith homered off the left-field foul pole, Corey Seager and Zach McKinstry each drove in three runs, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pounded the winless Oakland Athletics 10-3

APRIL 6, 2021 • Associated Press

Slams first home run Smith went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and a walk in Sunday's 4-2 win over the Rockies.

Impact After sitting the last two days, Smith came up big in the eighth inning with a solo shot for his first home run of the season. The Dodgers have quite the catcher tandem between Smith and Austin Barnes. Neither catcher will get everyday playing opportunities, but Smith has provided offense in both games he's played in so far. He is 4-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored to start his season.

APRIL 5, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Urías starts strong, Dodgers beat Rox 4-2 for 3rd win in row

Julio Urías got off to a strong start after a fine finish in last year’s World Series, pitching into the eighth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies 4-2

APRIL 4, 2021 • Associated Press

Sits for second time Smith will be on the bench Saturday against the Rockies, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Impact The Dodgers made it clear over the offseason that Smith wouldn't find himself in the lineup all that more often than Austin Barnes this season. That's been the case through the first three games of the year, with Smith starting just once and Barnes starting twice. Smith went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs and two RBI Friday, but even that wasn't enough to keep him in the lineup.

APRIL 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Big day at plate Friday Smith went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's 11-6 win over the Rockies.

Impact Making his first start of the season, Smith took full advantage of Coors Field's expansive outfield. Austin Barnes injured his hand Opening Day but is still expected to be back behind the plate Saturday, and the only thing standing between Smith and a huge 2021 campaign might be the fact that he's stuck in a timeshare.

APRIL 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Takes seat Thursday Smith isn't starting Thursday's game against Colorado, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Impact While Smith should see most of the playing time behind the dish in 2021, manager Dave Roberts recently described Austin Barnes as a "1A option" at catcher. Barnes will draw the start on Opening Day, batting eighth.

APRIL 1, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Caps big spring with solo blast Smith went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk Thursday in an exhibition victory over the Angels.

Impact Smith's homer was his second in two days and third overall this spring. The backstop slashed .372/.438/.651 during Cactus League play, driving in 10 runs and posting a 4:6 BB:K across 45 plate appearances. He'll serve as the Dodgers' primary catcher during the regular season, though manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Smith and Austin Barnes won't be far apart in terms of games logged behind the plate.

MARCH 31, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Slated for 'around 90 games' Manager Dave Roberts suggested Friday that Smith will start "somewhere around 90 games" this season, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Impact Roberts mentioned earlier this spring that Smith and Austin Barnes could pair in somewhat of a timeshare this season, and those plans appear to be taking shape given the manager's estimate for Smith's starts. This is far from positive news for fantasy managers who have invested in Smith as a top-three option at catcher based on his excellent 163 wRC+ last season -- tops among MLB catchers -- but it falls in line with the Dodgers' desire to give ample time to the defensively superior Barnes. Smith should still put up relatively strong numbers in comparison to other backstops, but his value will certainly take a hit if he is indeed sitting 2-3 times per week.

MARCH 20, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Dodgers eager to defend World Series title in full season

The Los Angeles Dodgers are eager to defend their first World Series championship in 32 years when they open the season in April

MARCH 17, 2021 • Associated Press

May share duties behind plate Smith is expected to pair with Austin Barnes in a timeshare at catcher for the Dodgers this season, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Impact Though Smith is considerably more explosive offensively than Barnes -- the former slashed .289/.401/.579 with eight homers last season, while the latter put up a .244/.353/.314 line with only one long ball -- the Dodgers value Barnes' defense to such a degree that they played him over Smith behind the dish frequently during their postseason run in 2020. In that scenario, Smith was able to shift over to designated hitter, but with the DH not expected to be utilized in the National League this season, he's not going to see as many at-bats as your typical starting catcher. "If you look at timeshare, I guess [Barnes is] a backup, but I don't see it as such," manager Dave Roberts said Sunday. "I think it's a 1 and 1A. They're both very valuable, and I think that we've done a good job of using both of them and exploiting strengths and things to help us win baseball games." That doesn't make it clear exactly how playing time will be divided between the two, and Smith is productive enough to be a valuable fantasy contributor even if he's out of the lineup a few days per week, but the situation bears watching early in the campaign to get a sense of how things will shake out.

MARCH 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE

Bellinger agrees to $16.1M, 1-year contract with Dodgers

Dodgers star Cody Bellinger agreed to a $16.1 million, one-year contract with the World Series champions that avoided salary arbitration

JANUARY 15, 2021 • Associated Press