LOS ANGELES — Doing without Will Smith through June, July and now August is one thing. Having him back in their lineup in October, however, is something else entirely.
“It’s crucial,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of getting Smith back for the postseason. “The experience, the calmness in the box, the managing of the pitching staff – all that stuff is crucial.”
Smith took a step forward Friday afternoon, taking live batting practice against a minor-league pitcher. He also caught bullpen sessions. It’s a schedule Smith will repeat for the next week while the Dodgers go on the road. A minor-league rehabilitation assignment could begin the following week.
“I don’t know how many rehab games it will take. Obviously with that, you can work in the DH-ing,” Roberts said. “But he still needs to get his legs under him before we feel confident that he can take down a major-league game and feel good coming out of it.
“At the end of the day there’s not much of a calendar left. He’s going to play in the postseason. So I think it’s also helpful knowing that there’s no other alternative. He’s going to prepare his mind and body to get ready to go.”
Smith declined to speak with the media following Friday’s workout and has largely been silent since he was placed on the injured list with an inflamed disc in his neck in early June.
A year ago, Smith suffered a broken bone in his hand and missed most of September as well as the Wild Card Series against the Cincinnati Reds. This layoff has been far longer, but Roberts said he believes there is still time for Smith to get back to full strength for the postseason.
“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “When he gets back, it’s obviously not going to be an everyday situation. But the buildup, there’s going to be enough time for that. Then also once you get to the postseason – I know we’re getting ahead of it – but the schedule, you’re not playing every day. So, yeah, there’s enough time.”
Meanwhile, Dalton Rushing has not begun a throwing program and was scheduled to have his injured elbow re-examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache earlier this week. Roberts has said he thinks it is “unlikely” that Rushing can catch in games again this year after being diagnosed with a slight tear of the ulnar collateral ligament.
“I still think it’s unlikely but we’re still going through the process and I hope I’m wrong,” Roberts said. “He’s determined to go through the progression and build up to get back and we’ll see where we’re at.”
CHANGE IT UP
For the first time this season, outfielder Kyle Tucker took batting practice on the field with the team before Friday’s game. Like some players, Tucker prefers to do his pre-game work in the batting cage under the stands.
“I don’t know, I haven’t been hitting great this year so I figured I’d try something else,” Tucker said of the decision to change his routine. “Hopefully it helps.”
Tucker’s disappointing first season of his four-year, $240 million contract with the Dodgers has featured dramatic home-road splits. On the road, Tucker has produced close to his career line – .272/.363/.457 with nine of his 11 home runs. But at Dodger Stadium, he has hit .189/.286/.272. That prompted Roberts to bench Tucker for one of the games last weekend. This time, Roberts said he will start all three games on this mini-homestand.
“Like I said a few days ago, he’s not on an island. We’re here to support him. I’m here to support him. Anything we can do to unlock him we’re going to do,” Roberts said.
“I really feel we’ve turned a corner (during the series in Colorado), I really do. I can’t speak to what he’s going to do tonight at the plate. But mentally and emotionally I think that he’s freed up.”
Tucker acknowledged that this has been a difficult year for him.
“I mean, it’s been a struggle in the sense that I’d like to help our team win and perform better for the guys in the clubhouse and the fans that come to the games,” he said. “In that aspect, I wish I would’ve done better this year.
“But we’ve still got a month and a half left and the playoffs coming up, so it’s not over yet. Just gotta keep grinding every single day and just keep moving forward and just try to get better every single day.”
NO SALE
Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten addressed the ongoing reports regarding principal owner Mark Walter, the federal investigation of his business dealings and the potential impact on the Dodgers, again saying the Dodgers would not be affected.
“The Dodgers are not being sold. They’re not gonna be sold. They’re not for sale. There’s no process that has been started to sell it – period,” Kasten said. “We are planning only to win.
“I just wanted this to be clear because this question keeps coming up. I understand the questions, I do. But as I said to you last time we met, the Lakers thing was what we lawyers call ‘sui generis.’ It was just one of those one-of-a-kind things that really has nothing to do with what’s happening with us or the other teams.
The shocking sale of the Lakers was reportedly not a “one-of-a-kind thing.” There have also been reports that Walter has looked into selling his share of the Chelsea soccer team and buying back the Dodgers’ and Lakers’ TV rights as a way to generate liquidity from his assets and settle loans that are the subject of the investigation.
“I’m not in that part of the investigation. I really don’t know. I just know reports,” Kasten said. “What I can say to you is things are going on behind the scenes obviously in connection with that. I’m not privy to all of them. Don’t need to know, don’t want to know. But one thing – we’re all certain about this – the sports portfolio is going to remain intact. It’s important to Mark. I can’t tell you how important the Dodgers are to Mark. The Lakers thing? The Lakers were important to him too, but it’s kind of an extraordinary opportunity, which he took.”
ROSTER MOVE
The Dodgers continue to shuffle fresh arms in their bullpen.
Right-hander Paul Gervase was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City before Friday’s game and Emmet Sheehan was returned to OKC. Gervase has a 2.35 ERA in four previous appearances with the Dodgers this season.
Sheehan was recalled for the three-game series in Colorado but didn’t appear in a game. He is expected to continue as a starter for OKC.
UP NEXT
Pirates (RHP Jared Jones, 2-5, 4.78 ERA) at Dodgers (LHP Tarik Skubal, 7-7, 2.85 ERA), Saturday, 4:15 p.m., FOX (Ch. 11), 570 AM