DETROIT -- The Dodgers are on the cusp of getting back a key cog in their lineup, as catcher Will Smith is expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, per manager Dave Roberts.
Smith has been sidelined for nearly three months with an inflamed disc in his neck, which bothered him for much longer than initially expected. He checked the final box in his long road to recovery this past week, going out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City to build up for his big league return.
Having Smith back in action should provide a boost for a scuffling Dodgers offense. The starting backstop was having a down season by his standards when he went on the IL, hitting .249 with a .720 OPS, but his mere presence in the lineup and behind the dish can be invaluable for L.A.
"The experience, the calmness in the box, the managing of the pitching staff -- all that stuff is crucial," Roberts said earlier this month.
Smith's impending return coincides with when active rosters expand to 28 players, but he is unlikely to be the Dodgers' only position-player addition. L.A. won't need to carry three catchers, so either Ben Rortvedt or Hunter Feduccia will likely be the odd man out.
That opens the door for the Dodgers to add another bat. Roberts said the team is still deciding who that will be, but it will likely be a left-hander. L.A. is eventually expecting to bring Dalton Rushing (partial tear in right UCL) back as a hitter -- his ability to catch again this season is in question, although he has started a throwing progression -- but he will not be ready by Tuesday.
Left-handed-hitting options on the 40-man roster include Alex Freeland, Hyeseong Kim and Ryan Ward. It seems more likely that whoever the Dodgers bring up will be used in more of a bench role rather than receive regular starts. While L.A. would benefit from an offensive spark amid its team-wide slump, Roberts is seeking to give his lineup regulars the runway they need to get right in time for the postseason.
If the Dodgers' offensive slump lingers into September, though, then perhaps bigger changes could be in store.
"I think that certain times I feel I try to give guys more of a leash -- until I can't," Roberts said. "But yeah, I mean, through August, this has been a pretty good sample in itself. But yeah, I think at some point you gotta go with the guys that you're gonna go with into the postseason, potentially through the postseason."