Dodgers News: Dave Roberts Talks Slumping Will Smith

Dave Roberts doesn't think fatigue is a factor in Will Smith's recent offensive struggles.

The baseball season is long and tiring for every major leaguer. It's even more so for MLB catchers.

However, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn’t think fatigue is a factor in Will Smith’s August slump. 

“I’ve talked to him at length many times over. It’s not wear and tear. It’s not fatigue,” Roberts said. “I don’t default always to mechanics. But I do think in Will’s case there’s some things with his setup that I think has caused him to be late on the fastball.”

Anyone who watches the Dodgers regularly has seen Smith taking many foul tips and being hit by overswings. In April, he missed some time with a concussion.

Additionally, Smith's baseball year started early when he participated in the World Baseball Classic. This year was also the first time that Smith was selected for the National League All-Star team and played in the Mid-Summer Classic.

“I think that (fatigue) is something that’s an easy discussion point," Roberts said. "There’s catchers across the league who catch as much as he does. He’s in his prime. He takes good care of himself. So I just don’t think wear and tear and fatigue is the reason he’s not on the fastball lately.”

Before the break, Smith had a .279 batting average and a .889 OPS. Since then, he's struggled. In August, he had a .255 batting average. He is striking out more and walking less than he did in the first half of the season.

If Austin Barnes, who has hit much better of late, produced offensively, Roberts might have rested Smith more. Smith wouldn’t tell Roberts he was tired since he is a team player. The same offensive decline for Smith happened in the 2022 season.

Hopefully, Smith can figure out whatever mechanical adjustments need to be made before October rolls around.