Crooks could split time at catcher for the Cardinals next season with Ivan Herrera, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Herrera is slated to return to catcher in 2026 after serving as the team's primary designated hitter for the final few months of 2025. He is not expected to be used behind the plate full-time, though, leaving some reps at catcher open. Per Woo, that playing time is likelier to go to Crooks than Pedro Pages, who is a trade candidate. Crooks struggled in a cup of coffee with the Cardinals in 2025, going 6-for-45 with a 0:17 BB:K. However, the 24-year-old has been productive in the minors, having slashed .274/.337/.441 with 14 home runs last season at Triple-A Memphis.

Pages could be the odd man out at catcher for the Cardinals next season, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Pages has led the team in starts behind the plate each of the last two seasons. However, the Cardinals plan to use a combination of Ivan Herrera and Jimmy Crooks at catcher next season, leaving Pages without a clear path to playing time. The 27-year-old has minor-league options remaining, but prospect Leonardo Bernal is expected to serve as the primary catcher at Triple-A Memphis in 2026. As a result, Pages could be a trade candidate this offseason.

Smith went 2-for-6 with a solo home run and an additional run scored Saturday in a 5-4 extra-innings win in Game 7 of the World Series versus Toronto.

Smith scored Los Angeles' first run of the game in the fourth inning when he led off the frame with a double and eventually came home on a Teoscar Hernandez sacrifice fly. The All-Star catcher then came through with the biggest hit of his career in the top of the 11th inning, clubbing a two-out solo homer that proved to be the winning run as the Dodgers repeated as champions. Smith ended up catching all 73 innings of the series, setting a World Series record. He recorded at least one hit in six of the seven contests, batting .267 overall with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI and four runs scored.

Stubbs cleared waivers Wednesday and was sent outright to Triple-A Rochester.

Stubbs played in his first career MLB game in 2025, though most of his time was spent in the minors, where he slashed .169/.293/.316 across 266 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. The Nationals already have four other catchers on their 40-man roster, so Stubbs will end up as the odd man out and likely open 2026 as organizational depth.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a home run and three total RBI in a 5-1 victory over Toronto in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday.

Smith drove in over half of the Dodgers' runs to help his team tie the series. His first RBI came on a two-out single in the first inning, and the All-Star catcher then stopped Kevin Gausman's run of retiring 17 straight batters with a solo blast in the seventh to unknot a 1-1 stalemate. Smith also plated the final run of the contest with a fielder's choice groundout in the eighth frame. Through two World Series games, he's gone 3-for-7 with a walk and four RBI.

Contreras will visit a hand specialist next week to determine whether he needs surgery to repair a fractured left middle finger, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Contreras was diagnosed with a fractured finger back in early May but played through the injury for most of the season. It likely contributed to a relatively disappointing offensive season, as Contreras finished with a .260/.355/.399 batting line with 17 home runs. If he does wind up undergoing surgery, Contreras' availability for the beginning of spring training should not be affected.

Rushing is not on the Dodgers' NLCS roster, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Rushing was on the wild-card and NLDS rosters and struck out as a pinch hitter in his lone plate appearance. With Will Smith fully recovered from his fractured hand and no longer under any workload restrictions, the team no longer has a need for a third catcher. Ben Rortvedt will back up Smith, and reliever Ben Casparius has taken Rushing's spot on the roster.

Smith (hand) will start at catcher and bat fifth against the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS on Wednesday.

Smith's fractured right hand kept him on the bench for the Dodgers' first four postseason games, though he was able to deliver a two-run single off the bench in Game 2 on Monday. He'll now return to the starting nine and provide the Dodgers with another power bat while the team looks to punch its ticket to the NLCS.

Smith went 1-for-2 with two RBI in Monday's 4-3 win over the Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

Smith came off the bench for a second straight game as he continues to ramp back up from a fractured right hand. He came through with a clutch two-out base knock in the top of the seventh inning, driving home a pair to increase his team's lead to three. This may be the final game in which Smith is deployed off the bench, as Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported earlier in the day that the backstop is trending toward a start in Game 3.

Smith (hand) remains out of the lineup Monday for Game 2 of the NLDS against the Phillies.

Smith hasn't started a game in nearly a month due to a fractured right hand, though he did pinch hit in Game 1 and remained in the contest to catch. He'll be available off the bench again for Game 2, but the Dodgers aren't ready to put him back into the starting lineup just yet. Smith caught Yoshinobu Yamamoto's bullpen session pregame, and manager Dave Roberts said Smith is trending toward starting at catcher in Game 3 on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports. Ben Rortvedt is catching and batting ninth for the Dodgers on Monday.