LOS ANGELES — Minutes before kickoff, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a heart-stopping decision: star catcher Will Smith was pulled from the starting lineup because of swelling in his right hand, an injury sustained from a foul ball hit earlier in the day. The news, confirmed by head coach Dave Roberts, sent the atmosphere from excitement to worry and regret.
Smith — who leads the team with a .296 batting average and a .901 OPS — was injured when a foul ball hit his right hand on Sept. 3 in Pittsburgh. He had seemed to recover, but during warmups before tonight’s game against the Rockies, his hand began to swell — so much that it affected his ability to throw and catch — forcing him to sit out at the last minute.
“Smith’s hand started to swell up and started to compromise a little bit as he was getting loose,” Roberts told reporters. “So we decided to just have him down today…”
The announcement sent a shock through Dodgers fans in the stadium — everyone knew Smith was an integral part of the team: from the locker room to every important play.
He was replaced by Ben Rortvedt, a reserve but extremely focused and composed. When called up at the last minute, Rortvedt was remarkable: supporting the pitcher, keeping a clean sheet in the backfield, and allowing two hits in four at-bats as the Dodgers went on to defeat the Rockies in a 9–0 victory.
“We thought he was going to play tonight, but when his hand started swelling in warmups, it really affected him,” Roberts said. “When we were trying to warm up with hitting and get ready for the game, the hand just wasn’t working. We had a backup plan.”
The situation is especially sensitive as the Dodgers are in the midst of a playoff push. Every game, every player matters. Smith’s absence not only affects his ability to score, but also raises concerns about the strength of the lineup if the injury is not fully healed.
However, the Dodgers have said they will not play Smith if he is not 100%, because they want to avoid a relapse. This shows the priority of optimizing the player’s physical condition: long-term health > everything. Roberts also said the team will closely monitor the condition of the hand, try to cool it, rest it, and determine whether he can catch two of the next three games with a right hand that can handle it.
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