Dodgers make late catcher switch after Will Smith is scratched vs. Angels

The Dodgers entered Saturday’s cross-town game against the Angels with Will Smith penciled into the lineup, but a late change forced the club to rethink its plans behind the plate. Smith was scratched with a stiff neck, prompting Los Angeles to pivot to rookie catcher Dalton Rushing shortly before first pitch. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the issue appeared suddenly and was not viewed as a long-term concern, with the expectation that Smith would be back in the starting lineup for the Sunday finale of the three-game series at Dodger Stadium.

The adjustment also mattered because Smith was originally slated not only to catch, but to be part of the Dodgers’ everyday mix during a series they are treating as a near-term momentum moment. For Saturday, the lineup card described a Dodgers group built around Shohei Ohtani at DH, with Andy Pages in center field, Freddie Freeman at first base, Mookie Betts at shortstop, Max Muncy at third base, Ryan Ward in left field, Alex Call in right field, and Alex Freeland at second base. With Smith out, Rushing became the catcher and the Dodgers maintained the rest of their offensive shape around the same established stars.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto remained the starting pitcher for the Dodgers on Saturday, and that continuity shifted the day’s focus to how quickly Rushing could connect with a frontline ace without the usual full runway to prepare. Roberts emphasized that the swap was more about workload and game-day readiness than any alarm over Smith’s condition. The decision also aligned with the Dodgers’ broader approach to managing the catcher’s workload over the weekend, including a day off that had already been part of the plan.

For Rushing, the late call to catch Yamamoto turned into an immediate measuring stick. Roberts said the club’s internal view of Rushing has continued to evolve in a positive direction, noting that Rushing’s comfort level has grown compared with earlier opportunities and that it had become more seamless for pitchers to share the same catcher preparation. Catching a pitcher of Yamamoto’s stature, on short notice, offered the clearest real-world test of that development, and it came without changing the Dodgers’ broader lineup intentions.

Roberts’ comments also suggested the Dodgers are treating this as routine baseball prevention rather than a blow to their immediate lineup stability. He indicated that while Smith had been grinding through the neck situation, the management approach was to tap Rushing on the shoulder and reduce the risk of dragging the issue across multiple days. Roberts added that the team had options to handle Smith’s schedule because Smith was going to play two of three regardless, making it easier to protect him without sacrificing the series’ core.

Looking ahead, the main storyline is straightforward: whether Smith is able to return as expected for Sunday’s series finale. If Smith is indeed back, the Dodgers will likely slide the lineup behind the plate back into its usual rhythm. If not, Saturday’s forced adjustment could become a template for how aggressively the Dodgers continue to balance catcher workload with the need to keep their stars active in every series. Either way, Saturday served as a reminder that in a long season, the most important games are often the ones decided in minutes, not innings.