Will Smith's vital contributions at catcher means the Dodgers can't afford to bench him even though he has struggled mightily at the plate this postseason.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is batting just .053 in the postseason, but manager Dave Roberts confirmed he will not be benched. The Dodgers lost 2-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NLCS, with Smith managing only a walk in four plate appearances. Despite the offensive slump, Roberts considers Smith's defensive leadership behind the plate too valuable to remove him from the starting lineup, especially with backup catcher Dalton Rushing sidelined due to injury.
Roberts indicated he may consider adjusting Smith's placement in the batting order to help ignite his production, similar to a recent adjustment made with Shohei Ohtani. Pitcher Tarik Skubal, who took the loss in Game 1, strongly endorsed Smith's game calling and handling of the pitching staff. The Dodgers' defense has limited postseason opponents to a .160 batting average and 10 total runs.
Get the latest sports news and top stories from MySportsTab delivered straight to your inbox.
No spam. Just the latest sports news and updates.
