Will Smith’s stiff neck keeps Dodgers catcher out, Dave Roberts says IL is “more of a possibility”

The Los Angeles Dodgers again held catcher Will Smith out of the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, extending an absence that has now reached three straight games. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the stiffness in Smith’s neck is still lingering and suggested the team may need to reassess whether a move to the injured list is necessary.

Roberts indicated Wednesday’s game is also at risk for Smith, framing the decision as day-to-day while the catcher ramps through a fuller workload. According to Roberts, the Dodgers are beginning to talk about an IL stint, noting that the minimum stay for position players is 10 days and that teams can backdate injury list placements by up to three days. The cause of the stiffness has not been clarified publicly by the club, though Roberts previously described the situation as unclear.

The neck issue first interrupted Smith’s routine on Saturday, when he was scratched from the lineup before the game. Roberts later said Smith played catch Tuesday, and that throwing “went OK,” but that the neck remains most bothersome during the act of swinging. That distinction matters for a catcher, since batting and the repetitive rotational demands of hitting are often what force managers to keep players out longer than a simple rest day would suggest.

With Smith unavailable, Los Angeles has turned to Dalton Rushing behind the plate. In the stretches where Smith has been resting, Rushing has stepped into the starting catcher role for multiple games, serving as the stabilizing presence for a pitching staff that relies heavily on consistent game-calling and receiving.

The Dodgers enter this phase of the schedule with a deep roster and a strong pitching foundation, but catcher availability can still create a ripple effect. Beyond the obvious offensive role, a regular backstop anchors pitch sequencing, handles the tempo of at-bats, and supports pitchers with framing and defensive decisions. When a primary catcher is sidelined, the substitute’s preparation and chemistry with the staff become part of the practical day-to-day calculus.

The Pirates, meanwhile, are the opponent in the middle of this catch-management sequence. Tuesday’s matchup is one of the reasons the Dodgers’ timing decision carries extra weight, because it affects not just a single lineup card but also how Los Angeles structures the coming road stop. If Smith’s condition does not improve after a full practice day, the Dodgers’ internal timetable could tilt further toward an IL option rather than repeated short rests.

Roberts’ comments make clear that there is no official injured-list announcement yet, and Smith’s status remains subject to how his neck responds once he is able to work through a complete day of baseball activities. What to watch next is straightforward: whether he can advance from throwing to hitting without symptoms, and whether the Dodgers decide they have enough certainty to formalize the absence.

For now, the Dodgers’ operational challenge is managing a key position player’s availability while protecting him from a return that could linger. In the standings race, even small stretches matter, but teams also want to avoid treating a stiff neck like a routine off day. The next update after Wednesday’s lineup should clarify whether Los Angeles is expecting improvement on the field or whether it is preparing for a longer timeline away from the roster.