Los Angeles Dodgers could face a major blow to their October aspirations as their star catcher, Will Smith, left Wednesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after suffering a contusion to his right hand, setting off alarm bells among the coaching staff and fans.
The incident occurred in the bottom of the second inning, when a foul ball struck his catching hand during a play with starter Emmet Sheehan. Although Smith prepared to bat in the next inning, he was replaced by rookie Dalton Rushing in the top of the third inning. The Dodgers later confirmed that it was a “right hand contusion”, without offering further immediate details.
The injury comes just as Will Smith was enjoying his best offensive moment
Smith entered the game at PNC Park with a .297/.406/.499/ offensive line, plus 17 home runs, 19 doubles and 61 RBIs. He was also selected for the third consecutive time to the MLB All-Star Game and was on track to close the season with his best bWAR of 4.5.
In recent days, he had raised his level even further, hitting .364 with an OPS of 1.136, an encouraging sign after a post-All-Star break slump. In fact, Smith hit a pinch-hit home run that left the Diamondbacks on the field, avoiding a sweep and reinforcing the Dodgers’ lead in the National League West.
The Dodgers announced that they will conduct further studies to determine the severity of the injury, with the main concern being a possible fracture, which would compromise his availability for the playoffs. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, the team has already begun to prepare a possible plan B with Dalton Rushing, whom they have been developing slowly for this type of situation.
With only weeks remaining in the regular season, the Dodgers are fighting to maintain their divisional lead and get as healthy as possible for October and the decisive games.
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