This article was generated by artificial intelligence and is automatically updated as news breaks. All credit belongs to the original reporters and their publications.

Will Smith has now been sidelined for over six weeks with a neck injury, and his path back to the Dodgers lineup isn’t getting any clearer. Per Dodger Blue, Smith was shut down from baseball activities entirely over the All-Star break due to continued neck stiffness. The team still expects him to return at some point this season, but there is no firm timeline for when that might happen.

Smith, 31, has been one of the most productive catchers in baseball since establishing himself as the Dodgers’ everyday backstop. He’s a switch-hitter with legitimate pop — he hit 25 home runs in 2024 and has consistently posted OPS numbers well above league average for the position. Behind the plate, he’s developed into a solid receiver and game-caller who handles one of the best pitching staffs in the sport. The Dodgers moved him to the 60-day injured list earlier this month, a signal that this was never going to be a quick turnaround. But the fact that he’s still dealing with stiffness and had to be shut down again is genuinely concerning. Neck injuries are tricky, and for a catcher who spends his working life crouching and absorbing impact, this is the kind of thing that needs to be completely right before he gets back out there.

The Dodgers already called up Austin Barnes to help shore up the catching depth, and he’s been filling in alongside Hunter Feduccia with Smith out. Barnes is a familiar face — he’s been with the organization for years and knows the pitching staff well — but neither option replaces what Smith brings offensively. That’s a real hole in the middle of the lineup, especially with Shohei Ohtani also dealing with his own injury issues right now.

This is one I’m watching closely heading into the trade deadline. The Dodgers have said their deadline plans aren’t being shaped by the Smith and Ohtani injuries, but at some point the front office has to weigh the reality of what this roster looks like if Smith’s return drags into August or later. Six weeks with no real progress and a shutdown over the break — that’s not the trajectory you want to see. The Dodgers have the depth and the roster flexibility to absorb this for a while, but catching is a position where the gap between your starter and his replacements is felt every single night. If Smith’s recovery continues to stall, catching depth could become a deadline priority whether the front office planned for it or not.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: July 22, 2026 2:42 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers