LOS ANGELES – Will Smith was scratched from the Dodgers’ lineup Saturday afternoon with a “stiff neck.”
Read more Huntington Beach baseball defeats Cathedral Catholic to capture Division I regional title
“He was going to play two out of three (in the series against the Angels) regardless, so it’s nice that we could kind of tap Dalton (Rushing) on the shoulder and get him in there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I expect him (Smith) to be in there tomorrow. We’ll see. But that’s our expectation.”
Smith missed time in late April with a lower back issue but said that was “just a one- or two-day thing.” Two weeks ago, Roberts gave Smith another break, starting him just once in a three-game series at Milwaukee – “I just wanted to get him to stand down a little bit, that wasn’t physical,” Roberts said.
The emergence of Rushing in his second season has made it easier for the Dodgers to give Smith more time off. But it hasn’t helped his offense. Smith was just 3 for his past 16 before the off day Saturday and is hitting just .249 with a .720 OPS, both below his career standards. More surprising, he is just 7 for 44 (.159) with 14 strikeouts and no extra-base hits against left-handed pitching this season.
“I still think that the at-bat quality is fine,” said Roberts, who has dropped Smith in the lineup. “There are some metrics we look at, underlying stuff and I think his expected (outcome statistics) is better than it’s showing. So I think that’s certainly encouraging for us. It’s better than the surface line. Is it what he expects? Probably not. I do think it’s turning. I think the aggressiveness of the swing is better. The swing decisions are better. So I’m not too concerned about Will. I’m really not.”
Roberts also said the level of trust with Rushing behind the plate this year is “not even close” to last year.
“We’ve done a really good job, I think of sharing the load so now it’s more seamless when he has to catch Yama(moto),” Roberts said. “I think the game has slowed down much more for Dalton. And I’ll tell you, when he’s catching I feel very good that he is in lockstep with the starting pitcher and No. 1 is trying to prevent runs. I really am. And that’s a big growth for him as an offensive type catcher coming up.”
ROSTER MOVES
Triple-A right-hander Nick Frasso exercised an upward-mobility clause in his contract. The Dodgers had to add Frasso to the 40-man roster Saturday or lose him to another team.
Injuries have hindered the 27-year-old Frasso’s development. He missed the entire 2024 season while recovering from labrum repair surgery on his shoulder as well as hip surgery. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers last November and re-signed a minor-league contract with them. He has a 4.85 ERA after 11 appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City this year.
He will stay with OKC.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Frasso, the Dodgers moved right-hander Tyler Glasnow to the 60-day injured list with his back injury.
Read more Newport Harbor baseball beats Bakersfield Christian to win regional title
Glasnow left his start in Houston on May 6 after just one inning with back spasms. The issue was not considered serious at the time but Glasnow has been unable to make any progress on a throwing program.
“He’s still not playing catch. It’s just the back spasms,” Roberts said. “Obviously with the back, he’s been limited. He wants to get cranking again but the doctors just aren’t allowing it and the body is not allowing for it right now.”
Glasnow will be eligible to come off the IL on July 6.
STEWART STATUS
Right-hander Brock Stewart threw to hitters in a live batting practice session before Saturday’s game. He is expected to repeat that before then going on a rehab assignment.
Stewart returned from shoulder surgery last fall and was activated in early May. But he made just two appearances with the Dodgers before going back on the IL with bone spurs in his left foot.
“It’s not an arm thing,” Roberts said. “It’s a foot thing, so we’ve just got to make sure he can recover from the foot thing and cover first base, the PFPs because that’s what set him back last time.”
Outfielder James Outman, traded to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Stewart at last year’s deadline, was designated for assignment by the Twins on Saturday after hitting just .151 in 86 games with the Twins.
ALSO
Triple-A left-hander Antoine Kelly was traded to the Chicago Cubs. A non-roster invitee to the Dodgers’ spring training camp, Kelly had a 5.14 ERA in 23 appearances for Oklahoma City.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Jose Soriano, 6-4, 2.72 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan, 3-2, 4.50 ERA), Sunday, 1:10 p.m.,SportsNet LA, 570 AM
Read more La Habra softball falls to Mater Dei Catholic in ‘bittersweet’ regional final