The Los Angeles Dodgers made a move to address their catching depth.
Los Angeles placed starting catcher Will Smith on the injured list, retroactive to Monday, with neck inflammation. Following Smith being placed on the IL, the Dodgers signed former Toronto Blue Jays catching prospect Hayden Gilliland and assigned him to the Tulsa Drillers, the Double-A affiliate of Los Angeles, according to the transactions page.
Toronto signed Gilliland in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee Tech. However, the Blue Jays released him on June 9, and just three days later, he signed with the Dodgers and was actually promoted to Double-A.
Gilliland had been playing in High-A in the Blue Jays system for the Vancouver Canadians. In 28 games with Vancouver, he hit .228 with 3 home runs and 11 RBIs, and his release does seem a bit of a surprise, especially with how thin Toronto is at catching.
Yet, the Dodgers snapped him up to add depth to the system following Smith’s injury.
Los Angeles, meanwhile, will kick off a three-game road series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.
Smith Discusses Neck Injury
Smith had been dealing with a neck injury for quite some time now.
The Dodgers’ starting catcher revealed he woke up with neck pain last week in Arizona, and after trying to play through it, Los Angeles opted to put him on the IL.
“It’s been a long few days,” Smith said. “Played on it a couple days, played on it at home, and then just that third or fourth day, I kind of felt it was just getting a lot worse. Couldn’t play that day. It’s one of the things we thought was going to get a little better in a couple days [but is] just taking a little bit longer.”
The injury isn’t considered serious, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Smith could’ve played through it, but they thought 10 days of rest was best.
“I just don’t think it’s smart to run Will out there just because he’s Will Smith and he’ll do it,” Roberts said. “We gotta take care of his health for this year. So I don’t think it’s a serious thing, but I do think that us taking care of it right now on the front end will pay benefits.”
Smith, meanwhile, agreed and said it was hard to catch with the neck injury.
“With a tight neck, it’s harder to see the pitches and stuff,” Smith said. “The first day I felt I hit a double, so like, it’s part of it. But yeah, just kind of got to a place where I couldn’t go out there and help the team win.”
Daulton Rushing will serve as the starting catcher and Los Angeles called up Chuckie Robinson from Triple-A Oklahoma City to serve as the backup.
Los Angeles Avoids Major Injury to Ohtani
Ohtani, meanwhile, left Thursday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates in the top of the seventh inning with left knee inflammation.
Roberts revealed after the game that Ohtani’s removal was purely precautionary after experiencing some pain in his left knee/hamstring area.
“We tried to be smart about it and get him out of the game,” Roberts said. “He told the trainer that he felt a little something behind his knee, and I just didn’t see any sense in risking it.”
Ohtani is hitting .305 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs this season.
Dodgers Sign Ex-Blue Jays Catcher After Will Smith Injury