Overview
- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Smith has resumed light baseball activity, including lifting, throwing and starting a hitting progression, and is roughly three to four weeks from a return if progress and a rehab assignment go well.
- Smith was shut down in June after an inflamed cervical disc failed to improve despite a June injection and early rehab attempts, prompting a period of enforced rest that produced the recent improvement.
- Los Angeles has been using Dalton Rushing and Eliezer Alfonzo Jr. as its primary catching tandem while Smith has been out, with Rushing performing strongly in extended big-league action.
- The club had been linked to veteran catchers ahead of the trade deadline, but Smith’s current timetable gives the Dodgers a reason to pause external additions and reassess need after the deadline.
- If Smith returns healthy in mid-to-late August it would restore a high-impact bat and postseason-tested presence behind the plate, but the club will wait for a rehab assignment and symptom monitoring before confirming a roster change.