Saturday, October 24, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Entering the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers thought Will Smith was one of the best catchers in the major leagues. After all, he hit the game-winning home run in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series and was one of the catchers for the World Baseball Classic.

In June, Smith missed because of a sore neck. The Dodgers thought it was a minor inconvenience, but the injury lingered for three months.

His absence exposed the Dodgers’ shortage of major-league-ready catchers. Rushing became the Dodgers’ primary catcher until he injured the UCL in early August. This week he underwent a Tommy John-like procedure with an internal brace. He will miss approximately nine months.

In August, the Dodgers obtained Hunter Feduccia and Ben Rortvedt at the trading deadline. They released Rortvedt. Feduccia didn’t do a satisfactory job.

Since Smith is 31 and plays a physically demanding position, he will be likely getting injured more frequently than in the past. The Dodgers must find a satisfactory backup catcher.

Smith played well but below his standards in 73 games during the regular season. He had a .260 batting average with 10 home runs, 34 RBI, and a .781 OPS. During the regular season, he had a 1.7 WAR, down from 4.5 in 2025. He didn’t produce offensively during the postseason, except for a two-run double in Game 3 of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Since Smith has been with the Dodgers in 2019, he knows the Dodgers’ pitching staff well. He works well with a complicated pitching staff. His basic catching mechanics are great. He calls a good game. In 67 games, he committed 3 errors and 3 passed balls with a 0.3 dWAR.

If he can play 120 games in 2027, the Dodgers should be good shape at catcher; however, if he misses a large portion of the 2027 season, the Dodgers will be in trouble.