PITTSBURGH — Will Smith is not going on the injured list – for now.
The Dodgers catcher took a foul tip off the back of his right hand during the second inning of Wednesday night’s loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates and left the game shortly after. Initial X-rays were negative but Smith was also scheduled to undergo a CT scan to further examine the injured area and “make sure that there’s nothing else going on,” according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts said Smith’s hand is still “sore” and the Dodgers hope to postpone a decision on whether to place him on the IL.
“We’ll see. I think we’re going to give Will a couple extra days,” Roberts said. “To see him playing over the weekend, probably unlikely. But we’ll kind of give him a few days before we have to make that IL decision.”
In the meantime, Ben Rortvedt was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City, giving the Dodgers three catchers on the active roster.
Rortvedt, 27, was acquired by the Dodgers in the three-way trade deadline deal among the Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Cincinnati Reds. Rortvedt has 209 games of major-league experience over parts of four seasons with the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees and Rays. He hit .228 in 17 games for OKC after the trade.
Whether Smith goes on the IL or not, his injury will give Dalton Rushing his first opportunity at regular playing time, rather than the twice-a-week schedule he has basically been on since his promotion from Triple-A in mid-May.
Rushing has made 31 starts at catcher in that time and is batting .190 in 43 games overall.
“I think with Dalton I have really liked the fingers (his game-calling). I think he’s building a nice rapport with the pitchers. I like the way he catches the baseball,” Roberts said. “For me, I want to see a consistent at-bat. I think at times he gets way too big with his swing. He tries to do too much. He has to understand that his role hitting at the bottom of the order is not to slug. It’s to take good at-bats, swing at strikes, take balls and get hits. It doesn’t have to be slug. I want to see a more consistent at-bat quality.”
OHTANI START
After scratching Shohei Ohtani from his pitching start on Wednesday, Roberts said Ohtani would likely start during the weekend series in Baltimore instead. But Ohtani will get extra time to recover from the chest cold that prompted the postponement and won’t pitch until Monday when the Dodgers return to Los Angeles.
“Just to give him some extra time. Just to kind of get his body, all the stuff he’s going through,” Roberts said. “He’s still kind of dealing with some chest stuff and some fatigue … so I think that to give him the best chance to go five innings, I think that was kind of the thought.”
Roberts said skipping Ohtani entirely this time through the rotation would have caused a ripple effect on the rest of the rotation.
Clayton Kershaw will now start Sunday in Baltimore on four days of rest. Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will start the first two games against the Orioles.
REHAB ROUNDUP
Alex Vesia pitched a 1-2-3 inning for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday. He will make one more rehab appearance with OKC and then be activated from the IL next week.
Max Muncy was scheduled to start his rehab assignment with OKC on Thursday by playing third base. He is expected to rejoin the Dodgers next week.
Utility man Tommy Edman made his second rehab appearance with OKC on Wednesday, his first playing center field. He is also expected to be activated next week.
“So we’re pretty well-represented with the OKC team,” Roberts joked.
ROSTER MOVES
Infielder Alex Freeland was sent back to OKC with Rortvedt’s promotion. Freeland hit .190 in 29 games with the Dodgers.
In order to add Rortvedt to the 40-man roster, right-hander Alexis Diaz was designated for assignment. Acquired from the Reds in a trade in May, the former All-Star closer had an 8.10 ERA in 11 appearances with OKC and a 5.00 ERA in nine appearances with the Dodgers.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Tyler Glasnow, 1-3, 3.41 ERA) at Orioles (RHP Dean Kremer, 9-10, 4.52 ERA), Friday, 4:05 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM