There has been tons of fuss made about Shohei Ohtani’s struggles in the playoffs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and that’s warranted. He’s supposed to be the best player in baseball, but he’s clearly playing injured and it has hurt his cause.
There hasn’t been a lot of discussion about Dodgers catcher Will Smith, though, and at least at the plate, Smith has been even worse.
The Dodgers continue to start Smith, and even hit him in key spots in the order, despite his immense struggles.
If L.A. can’t come back against the Milwaukee Brewers, it won’t just be Ohtani’s fault. It might also be because Smith has had a horrific October.
Will Smith Problem
Smith is 1-for-23 in the playoffs.
That’s an .043 batting average.
Even Ohtani at least has three hits since the calendar turned to October.
Smith’s lone hit is a single, and he has just one walk. He has struck out eight times.
For a guy who classically has been clutch in the postseason, this is a total turn in the opposite direction.
What’s Wrong With Will Smith?
Smith did hurt his right hand in September.
He took a foul ball off the hand in September, and it was diagnosed as a bruise. It was then changed in diagnosis to a right hand hairline fracture, and so now he’s playing through some level of pain in that hand.
It sure seems to be impacting his ability at the plate. He’s been late on a lot of pitches, and he hasn’t been driving the ball.
The Dodgers don’t have many options, though.
Where is Dalton Rushing?
The Dodgers don’t have their usual backup catcher Dalton Rushing due to injury.
He partially tore the UCL in his right elbow in August — that’s the ligament that pitchers often get repaired in Tommy John surgery.
Rushing hasn’t been put on the Dodgers’ postseason roster because they can’t use him in the field.
Dodgers Backup Catcher
In these playoffs, the Dodgers’ backup catcher has been Hunter Feduccia.
They traded for him in August from the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s 29 years old and known much more for his defense than his offense.
This season in 93 games, Feduccia hit .221 with three home runs and a .625 OPS.
The Dodgers could trust him to handle their pitching staff in a pinch, but it’s not like he’s some obvious bat upgrade over the current version of Smith — who the Dodgers surely hope will find a way to get in a groove despite the adversity.
Dodgers’ Will Smith Problem Doesn’t Have Dalton Rushing Fix