Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts revealed Will Smith was dealing with bone bruising on his right hand. The catcher was injured on Wednesday to the Pittsburgh pirates when he hit a foul ball directly in his hand.
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Roberts admitted that bone bruises are something Smith must manage for the rest of the season. The have limited options behind Smith, with rookie Dalton rushing to injury and minor league catcher Ben Rothvevett being the only healthy catcher on the active roster.
Frankly, the can’t afford to lose Smith. Roberts hopes Smith doesn’t need an injured list stint. However, a final decision will be made in the next few days.
“I think the results we receive will allow us to avoid IL,” Roberts said. “But we’ll give him a few days before we have to make that decision.”
Even if Smith doesn’t land in IL, he won’t be back in the lineup until next week. Therefore, Rortvedt may assume full-time responsibility behind the plate for the time being.
As the final month of the regular season ends, the have two main goals. This is to win the division and secure the second seed in the NL. If you can’t do either, it will make travelling in LA far more difficult to make it through the postseason.
Smith is paramount to the success of the as being one of the best batsmen in the lineup this year. Roberts admitted he didn’t know how injuries affect his offense for the rest of the season.
“That’s a good question. I don’t know the answer,” Roberts said. “That kind of bone bruise will probably be there for the rest of the season. How much it will hinder his swing and throw – don’t know the answer. The swelling won’t go away completely by this season.
The 30-year-old Smith hit .296 with 17 home runs this season, hitting 61 runs and an OPS of .902.
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Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Immagn Images
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