Dodgers’ Will Smith dealing with preseason ankle injury

Expectations are extremely high for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2025 following their World Series victory last season. LA improved its roster even further by adding stars such as Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell, and now they will once again enter the season with a championship-or-bust mentality. Injuries may be the only element of the sport that can derail this talented team, and catcher Will Smith is reportedly dealing with a preseason ankle issue, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

“Will Smith is dealing with an ankle issue and ‘a little behind,’ Dave Roberts said. He added that Smith has been running on an Alter-G treadmill,” Ardaya wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Ardaya later reported that Smith was catching a bullpen and is also expected to have a live batting practice on Friday.

Dodgers’ Will Smith battling injury

Smith is one of the better catchers in MLB when healthy. A two-time All-Star, the veteran catcher slashed .248/.327/.433/.760 across 128 games played during the ’24 campaign. He added 20 home runs and 24 doubles. His slash line declined from 2023, but Smith still is considered to be one of the better catchers in the sport.

Los Angeles features no shortage of depth. Austin Barnes is a reliable backup catcher and Dalton Rushing was the team’s No. 1 overall prospect in 2024. Smith’s injury does not seem to be too serious, but LA has other options if the veteran catcher is forced to miss any time.

Smith has plenty of time to recover before the 2025 regular season begins. Still, and this goes without saying, but he would prefer to have a normal spring training. It is not clear if Smith will be able to play immediately once spring training games begin. The Dodgers’ first game of the preseason is scheduled for Thursday, February 20 in a head-to-head matchup with the Chicago Cubs.