As of August 9, 2026, Will Smith has been on the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ injured list for more than two months — and manager Dave Roberts still can’t give anyone a return date. Smith hasn’t faced live pitching, has no rehab assignment scheduled, and the neck disc issue that landed him on the IL in early June keeps dragging on. And if that weren’t enough, the catcher who stepped in to cover for him is now hurt too.
Two Months, Multiple Setbacks, No End Date
Smith first hit the 10-day IL on June 11 after the problem surfaced during a series in Arizona. What looked like a short-term absence kept getting worse. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in July to clear a 40-man roster spot. Then, during the All-Star break, he was shut down from all baseball activity due to persistent neck stiffness — a setback Roberts described as going ‘back to square one.’
Roberts was blunt with reporters on August 9: «There’s no timeline as to when he faces pitching, let alone when he goes on a rehab assignment. Then we’ll have more clarity on a projected return date, but right now I don’t know,» he told reporters, per Yahoo Sports.
RotoWire projects August 25 as the most optimistic return date — which, best case, would give Smith just the final few weeks of the regular season before the playoffs begin.
Before going down, Smith was hitting .249 with 6 home runs, 23 RBI, and a .720 OPS in 52 games — below his usual standard. In 2025 he had put together the best season of his career: a .296 average, .404 OBP, and an fWAR above 4.0, along with his third straight All-Star selection.
Rushing Goes Down Too: A Crisis Becomes a Full Emergency
What was a manageable situation turned into a real problem when Dalton Rushing also landed on the IL. The second-year catcher had been excellent as the starter — hitting .254 with 10 home runs, 30 RBI, and an .812 OPS in 61 games, numbers that actually topped Smith’s pre-injury line. But elbow inflammation in his right arm arrived in early August, and Roberts was straightforward about the outlook: there’s a ‘very small’ chance Rushing catches again this season.
With both catchers out at the same time, the Dodgers moved before the August 4 deadline and acquired Ben Rortvedt from the New York Mets and Hunter Feduccia from the Tampa Bay Rays. Both have some familiarity with the Dodgers’ pitching staff, which helps — but neither is the name you’d draw up for an October run.
Why This Matters Come October
The Dodgers are World Series favorites looking to repeat, and catcher is one of the positions that shapes postseason pitching management more than any other. Smith doesn’t just hit — he’s spent years building relationships with a staff that includes Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Clayton Kershaw. That kind of rapport doesn’t get replaced overnight.
If RotoWire’s August 25 projection holds, Smith would have three or four weeks of regular-season action before the playoffs — enough time to find his rhythm, but tight. And that assumes no further setbacks, something that has already happened twice during this recovery.
- Smith: 60-day IL, no live pitching, no rehab assignment scheduled
- Rushing: IL with right elbow inflammation, very small chance of returning this season
- Rortvedt and Feduccia acquired August 4 as emergency depth
- Most optimistic Smith return: August 25, per RotoWire
Rortvedt and Feduccia can hold things together in the meantime — the Dodgers aren’t without options. But the depth they had in June is gone. The race against the clock started two months ago. It’s still running.
