"Smith was placed on the injured list in early September after taking a foul ball off the hand. Follow-up testing revealed a hairline fracture that ultimately kept him out of game action for the rest of the regular season. Manager Dave Roberts said Smith would take live at-bats this week to determine his availability for the postseason. Apparently, Smith showed he was capable of contributing in the Wild Card round, at least as a hitter."
"Having Smith's bat in the mix, even as just a pinch-hitter, should be a big boost for the Dodgers. The 30-year-old backstop put together a career year at the plate, slashing .296/.404/.497 with a 153 wRC+. Smith was hitting over .300 beyond the All-Star break until a sluggish August brought down his numbers. Rortvedt is a glove-first option, and Rushing hasn't lived up to his prospect pedigree as a rookie, so both could cede at-bats to Smith if they come up in a big spot."
Will Smith and Justin Dean were added to the Dodgers' Wild Card roster for the series against Cincinnati, with Smith expected to be used as a pinch-hitter. Smith suffered a hairline fracture in early September after taking a foul ball to the hand and missed the remainder of the regular season, but he took live at-bats and showed postseason hitting readiness. The Dodgers also carry Ben Rortvedt and Dalton Rushing at catcher, while Michael Conforto and lefty reliever Anthony Banda were left off the 26-man roster and Clayton Kershaw will not be active.
Read at MLB Trade Rumors
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