LOS ANGELES -- After the Dodgers had initially been hopeful that Will Smith would miss minimal time with a bone bruise in his right hand, they are now facing the reality of being without their All-Star catcher for the remainder of the regular season -- and possibly beyond.
Additional imaging on Smith's hand revealed a hairline fracture, manager Dave Roberts said before Saturday night's game against the Giants at Dodger Stadium. It is unlikely that Smith returns in the final week of the regular season, and his status for the beginning of the postseason is "up in the air."
"Optimistic that he’s going to come back at some point," Roberts said. "Doubtful it’s the regular season. But having him available for the postseason, we’re still hopeful."
Ben Rortvedt, who has taken over behind the plate in Smith's absence, will continue to serve as the primary catcher. Rookie Dalton Rushing will remain in a backup role.
Smith has been on the injured list since Sept. 13, 10 days after he took a foul tip off his throwing hand in Pittsburgh. Initial imaging -- X-rays, a CT scan and an MRI -- all came back clean, so the Dodgers opted not to put Smith on the IL right away. He made it into one game on Sept. 9, catching a full nine innings, but his hand flared up again the following day.
The Dodgers could choose to carry three catchers on the postseason roster if Smith's status remains questionable around the beginning of the Wild Card Series on Sept. 30. They will only need three starting pitchers for that series, and because of Shohei Ohtani's two-way player status, they essentially have an extra roster spot for a pitcher anyway.
"As we get closer, to see where Will is at, we can make that determination," Roberts said. "But it’s certainly a possibility.”
Over the course of the season, Smith had been arguably the Dodgers' steadiest hitter, batting .296 with a .901 OPS in 110 games. His injury came on the heels of his first extended slump at the plate, as he slashed .159/.326/.304 in August.
In past years, Smith's production has tended to drop off in the second half. The Dodgers took pride in how they managed his playing time this year, slotting Rushing in about twice a week in order to keep Smith fresh.
Despite the Dodgers' best efforts, there's only so much they can control when it comes to freak injuries.
"It's baseball. It's what happens," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. "Obviously, there are all kinds of different injuries, and no one's going to feel sorry for us. We've got to do the best we can to hold down the fort until he's back."
Even while missing their starting backstop for most of September, the Dodgers have fared well recently, winning nine of their past 12 games entering Saturday and locking down their 13th consecutive postseason berth.
Rortvedt has been a pleasant surprise. Acquired from the Rays in a three-team trade ahead of the July 31 Deadline, he's hit 10-for-34 (.294) for L.A. entering Saturday. More importantly, he has impressed with how he's handled the pitching staff.
Just five games into his Dodgers tenure, Rortvedt caught two no-hit bids that went into the ninth inning in the span of three days. Since Sept. 6 -- his first full game with L.A. -- the rotation combined to post an NL-best 1.73 ERA in 13 games leading into Saturday.
"The way he's helped lead our pitching staff has been awesome," Friedman said. "He really has that servant leadership mentality behind the plate, which has really ingratiated himself with a lot of our pitchers. Obviously, the way they're throwing the ball has a lot to do with them, but at the same time, they feel so much comfort throwing to him as they're having that kind of success."