Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is getting the day off for the matinee game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins. Austin Barnes will catch right-hander Bobby Miller and will hit ninth against Twins right-hander Chris Paddack. Smith will head to the bench after starting each of the team's last three games. The former 32nd overall pick in 2016 out of Louisville has been on fire at the plate so far in 2024 after his first All-Star selection in 2023. In his first 12 games for the Blue this year, he has a league-high 20 hits in 50 at-bats for a league-high .400 batting average, a home run, 12 RBI and six runs scored in his 54 plate appearances. He's obviously a must-start fantasy catcher when he's active. Barnes will be a weak DFS sleeper play in the nine-hole and is hitless in five career at-bats versus Paddack.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in Sunday's starting lineup against the St. Louis Cardinals. It appears to be a regular day of rest for the star backstop. Smith, much like everyone on the Dodgers offense, has enjoyed a strong start to 2024. He is slashing .455/.500/.545 with four RBI through 24 plate appearances. Veteran catcher Austin Barnes will get his first start of the season with Smith out. Barnes maintains almost no fantasy appeal unless forced into an everyday role.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith are finalizing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension. The 28-year-old has been one of the most productive offensive catchers since entering the big leagues in the 2019 season, putting together a career .263 average with 91 home runs and an .842 OPS across 486 games played. Most recently, he hit .261 with 19 home runs, 80 runs, 76 RBI, and a .797 OPS across 554 trips to the plate in the 2023 season. ATC projects Smith to club 21 home runs along with 74 RBI and an .823 OPS in 124 games in the 2024 season as he is every bit worthy of his 80.46 ADP as the fourth catcher off the draft board this spring.

The Los Angeles Dodgers said that they scratched catcher Will Smith (back) from Wednesday's Cactus League finale due to lower-back tightness. With Smith sitting out, Austin Barnes will start behind the plate for the Blue. Smith's back injury doesn't sound serious at all, but the Dodgers aren't going to take any chances with their starting backstop with the team's first regular season game coming next week in Korea against the San Diego Padres. With spring training now over for Smith, he finishes with two home runs and five RBI in nine Cactus League contests. As one of the best all-around offensive catchers in the game in one of the best lineups in baseball, Smith is considered RotoBaller's No. 3 overall fantasy catcher, behind only Adley Rutschman and J.T. Realmuto.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Tuesday's Cactus League victory against the arch rival San Francisco Giants. The backstop is now hitting .280 with two round trippers and five RBI over his first 25 at-bats. The backstop put together another strong season in 2023 with 19 homers, 76 RBI and a .261 batting average. Smith, 28, remains one of the best offensive backstops in all of baseball with his ability to hit for both average and power. The combination of that in one of the leagues best lineups is a recipe for success. There aren't many catchers that can do what Smith does with the bat and managers should expect him to be one of the first off the board in all formats.

There have been no extension talks between the Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith so far this year. Smith's numbers dropped slightly in 2023, but he was also playing a majority of the season with a broken rib and also missed time due to a concussion. Still, he was able to finish third among catchers with a minimum of 400 plate appearances in wRC+ last year. The 28-year-old was a first-time All-Star and was one of the better offensive backstops in the game with a .261/.359/.438 slash line, 19 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples, 76 RBI, three stolen bases and a career-high 80 runs scored in 126 regular-season games. Not only has Smith been durable for fantasy managers, but he has 68 homers and 239 RBI in the last three seasons. He's easily a top-five fantasy catcher.

Catcher Will Smith and the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided salary arbitration on Thursday by settling on an $8.55 million salary for the 2024 season, according to a source. It's a record for a second-time arbitration-eligible catcher. It's also a $3.3 million raise from what he earned in 2023. Smith was a first-time All-Star last season despite a slight drop in his numbers. He finished with a .261/.359/.438 slash line with 19 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples, 76 RBI, three stolen bases and a career-high 80 runs scored in 126 total games played. At the weak catcher position in fantasy, those numbers are still well above-average. The 28-year-old backstop is one of just five catchers to score 80 runs in the last 15 seasons. Smith will be one of the first few catchers off the board yet again in fantasy drafts this spring.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Smith will head to the bench for the second time in the last three games. At this point, the Dodgers will prioritize rest during the final weekend of the regular season. Possibly, Smith plays on Sunday, but the Dodgers might hold him out for the whole weekend. Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus right-hander Tristan Beck on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies are playing a doubleheader at Coors Field on Tuesday, and Dodgers catcher Will Smith will start on the bench for Game 1 with the team taking on right-hander Chase Anderson. Austin Barnes will do the catching for left-handed opener Caleb Ferguson and will bat in the nine-hole for the Blue. Smith will almost assuredly return to catching duties for Game 2 of the twin bill on Tuesday. The 28-year-old All-Star is currently hitting .261/.360/.437 with 18 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples, 72 RBI, three stolen bases and 77 runs scored on the year in 122 games played. Smith is limping towards the finish line, though, going 12-for-64 (.188) in 17 September starts with a homer, two doubles, a triple, six RBI, 13 strikeouts, one steal and 10 runs scored.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup for Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers have gone with the plan of starting Smith twice followed by Austin Barnes once for about a month. That being said, this appears to be a routine rest day for Smith. The expectation is that Smith will be back in the lineup after this game. In the meantime, Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus right-hander John Brebbia on Saturday.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith acknowledged in a weekend interview that he suffered a fractured rib at the end of April after getting hit by a pitch and played through it, per the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. Despite this, the 28-year-old made his first All-Star game after batting .279 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI. Oddly, Smith's second-half production has dropped off, potentially due to swing mechanic changes to compensate. Either way, he has once again been a solid fantasy contributor this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres. Fantasy managers don't need to worry as this appears to be a planned rest day for Smith. The right-handed slugger went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer and a double during Tuesday's contest. In his absence, Austin Barnes will cover behind the plate and bat ninth versus left-hander Blake Snell. Barnes won't be an ideal streaming option against Snell in this game.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will start Wednesday's game against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks on the bench. It's a normal day of rest for the All-Star backstop. He should be back in the starting lineup on Thursday for the start of a big weekend series against the Atlanta Braves. With Smith sitting, Austin Barnes is catching and batting in the nine-hole against Diamondbacks rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt. The 28-year-old Smith made his first All-Star team in 2023 and is currently hitting .271/.366/.461 with an .826 OPS, 17 home runs, 66 RBI and 67 runs scored in 104 games as one of the better offensive-minded catchers in fantasy in one of baseball's best lineups.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will take the second game off on Thursday against the Cleveland Guardians. The Dodgers and Guardians finished up Wednesday's rain-suspended game earlier on Thursday, and Smith caught all nine innings of that contest. The 28-year-old All-Star backstop will rest in the second game and should be back in the starting lineup on Friday for the start of a series against the Boston Red Sox on the road. Austin Barnes is catching and hitting in the nine-hole in the second game on Thursday against Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. Smith, a first-time All-Star in 2023, is a must-start in all fantasy leagues when he's active. He came into Thursday's action hitting .274 (98-for-358) with 16 home runs and 63 RBI in 99 games for LA.

Updating a previous report, Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is now in the starting lineup on Thursday against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers and right-hander Corbin Burnes, serving as the designated hitter and batting cleanup. Smith was originally set for a day off in the series finale, but he was put back in the lineup when regular DH J.D. Martinez (groin) was scratched due to injury. Fantasy managers will want to get the 28-year-old backstop back in their lineups against the Brewers. Smith has gone 14-for-52 (.269) with two home runs, three doubles, nine RBI, a stolen base and 10 runs scored in 14 games (13 starts) so far in the month of August.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will get a regular day of rest on Thursday in the series finale against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. Austin Barnes is doing the catching and is hitting in the nine-hole against Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes. Smith should be back in Friday's lineup for the start of a series against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium, so fantasy managers will want to get him back in their starting lineups then. When in the lineup, the 28-year-old is a must-start in all fantasy leagues with a .277/.378/.469 slash line, .847 OPS, 15 home runs, 61 RBI and 62 runs scored in 339 at-bats. Barnes, who is hitting .123 (15-for-122) with no home runs, should be avoided in DFS.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (elbow) is back in the starting lineup on Tuesday to face left-hander Ken Waldichuk and the Oakland Athletics. Smith is doing the catching and batting third in the lineup. X-rays came back negative for Smith after he was hit by a pitch in the left elbow of Sunday's series finale against the Cincinnati Reds, and he'll be right back in there for the start of a series against the lowly A's on Tuesday. The 28-year-old backstop needs to be returned to all starting fantasy lineups for the week. Smith continues to be one of the best offensive catchers in the game in an extremely potent Dodgers lineup. He's hitting .279/.388/.474 on the season with an .862 OPS, 13 home runs, 52 RBI and 52 runs scored in 287 at-bats.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith left Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning after being hit by a pitch on the elbow, but X-rays came back negative. He has officially been diagnosed with a left elbow contusion and hopes to be available for Tuesday's game. This is very good news for both the Dodgers and Smith's fantasy owners, as the backstop has been a consistent bat at a shallow position. That being said, Smith is in a bit of a rut right now, slashing just .269/.333/.385 with one homer in July. The veteran will almost assuredly bounce back in August with more typical production.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is on the bench for Wednesday afternoon's contest against the Toronto Blue Jays and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Smith started each of the first two games of the three-game set with the Blue Jays, going 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored on Tuesday, but will predictably take a seat in an afternoon contest following an extra-innings victory on Tuesday evening. Smith has not disappointed fantasy managers who took him off the board early as he's hitting .286 with 13 homers, one stolen base, 52 RBI, 52 runs, and an .878 OPS that easily ranks first among qualified backstops. Austin Barnes will catch and hit ninth on Wednesday.

Los Angeles Dodgers backstop Will Smith is not in the lineup for Sunday's matchup with Max Scherzer and the New York Mets. The slugger remains a top catcher in all of baseball, as he owns a .273/.389/.483 slash line with 13 bombs, 45 runs, 47 RBI, and one steal over 68 games. Austin Barnes will take care of the catching duties instead and bat ninth. Outside of 2017, the 33-year-old hasn't been much of a factor in any fantasy format and is batting just .104 this season across 33 contests. Fantasy managers should leave him on the waiver wire in all leagues.