16 Will Smith C

Smith went 1-for-4 with a solo homer Wednesday in a loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series.

The 25-year-old swatted a solo homer in the sixth inning off Nick Anderson. The impressive catcher slashed .289/.401/.579 during the regular season while recording an impressive 164 OPS+.

Smith went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves on Friday.

Smith provided the turning point of the contest, launching the homer in the sixth inning to put the Dodgers up 4-2. From there, the team never relinquished the lead to force Game 6 on Saturday. It was Smith's first career postseason home run, and one of the few bright spots for him this October. In 41 plate appearances, Smith has hit just .216/.293/.378, though he has managed to drive in nine runs.

Smith isn't starting Game 4 of the NLCS against Atlanta on Thursday.

Smith had a double with two RBI and three strikeouts in Wednesday's blowout win, and he'll get a breather for Game 4. Austin Barnes will start behind the plate Thursday.

Smith went 5-for-6 with a run and three RBI in Thursday's NLDS Game 3 win over the Padres.

Smith was trouble for Padres pitchers throughout the game, finishing with three singles and a pair of doubles. He drove in one run with a single in the top of the fourth and added two more RBI on a double in the top of the ninth. He's now hitting .294/.429/.412 through five postseason games, a huge step up from his struggles in his first taste of playoff action last year, when he grabbed just a single hit in four games.

Smith went 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs, two RBI and a walk in a victory versus the Angels on Saturday.

Smith knocked in a run with a single in the first inning and capped the Dodgers' scoring in the eighth with a solo homer to left field. The backstop has enjoyed a strong second major-league campaign, slashing .300/.414/.600 with eight homers and 25 RBI.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a walk and another run scored during Friday's win against the Angels.

Smith gave the Dodgers the lead with a two-run shot against Matt Andriese in the fifth inning. It was the seventh home run of the season for the 25-year-old backstop, who is slashing .290/.403/.570 across 35 games.

Smith is not in the lineup Saturday against the Rockies, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports.

Smith finds himself sitting for the second game in a row, something that hadn't happened yet this season except during the period that he was sidelined with a neck injury. This doesn't seem to be a sign of him losing playing time, which would be quite a surprise given his 1.013 OPS, but it's instead due to the fact that Clayton Kershaw will throw to his personal catcher Austin Barnes, who's caught all of his starts this season.

Smith is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Rockies, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Smith hits the bench after starting seven of the last eight games. He posted a 1.074 OPS over that stretch, right in line with his season-long 1.013 mark in that category. Austin Barnes will be the catcher Friday.

Manager Dave Roberts indicated Thursday that he is considering using Smith as the team's designated hitter in games that he doesn't catch during the playoffs, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Though catchers aren't typically targeted for the DH role, Smith has been one of the Dodgers' best hitters this season, leading Roberts to consider a way to keep his bat in the lineup on an everyday basis. Austin Barnes will certainly catch some contests if the Dodgers advance beyond the first round of the playoffs, but Roberts used both Barnes and Smith in the starting lineup when Smith DH'd last week, and the same setup could be employed again this weekend as the team prepares for the postseason. The desire to deploy Smith as an offensive weapon is justified by his .303/.417/.596 slash line and 18:16 BB:K.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and three RBI in Wednesday's win over San Diego.

Smith came through with a pair of big two-out hits in the contest, driving home a run with an infield single in the third inning and knocking in two more with a double to deep center in the fifth. Manager Dave Roberts recently indicated a preference to have Smith hit in the middle of the lineup due to his ability to produce quality at-bats, and the backstop certainly justified his skipper's comments Wednesday. In fact, Smith has been swinging a hot stick for the last two weeks; since Sept. 2, he has gone 16-for-34 (.471) with two homers, four doubles and seven RBI.

Smith has hit fourth or fifth in the order in each of his last three games, and manager Dave Roberts stated that he prefers the backstop in that area of the lineup, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Smith began the season hitting in the lower part of the order but has worked his way up due to an improved approach at the plate this season. "As far as Will in the middle of the order, I think his at-bat quality has been consistent, the on-base, using the whole field," Roberts said. "As we look out, to finish the season and into the postseason, I just want to count on the certainty of a quality at-bat." Smith was slated to bat fifth Tuesday -- as he had in his previous two starts -- but was moved up to the cleanup spot after Max Muncy was removed from the lineup in order to get a day of rest. Smith has been among the Dodgers' most effective hitters this season, slashing .300/.424/.600 with six home runs and 15 RBI. He has already matched his walk total (18) from last season -- in nearly 100 fewer at-bats -- while reducing his strikeout rate from 26.5 percent to 13.1 percent.

Smith isn't starting Monday's game against the Padres.

Smith drew starts in the past four games and has been on a tear recently, going 8-for-12 with three doubles over the past three contests. He'll get a day off Monday with Austin Barnes starting behind the plate.

Smith went 4-for-4 with a double during Thursday's loss to the Diamondbacks.

Smith set a new career high by tallying four hits in a single game, including a double in the fourth inning against Madison Bumgarner. The 25-year-old backstop improved his batting line to .279/.425/.603 with six home runs and four doubles on the year.

Smith is not in the lineup Tuesday against Arizona.

Smith and Austin Barnes have alternated starts behind the plate over the last six games. Barnes will take his turn Tuesday, but Smith should be back in the lineup Wednesday if the pattern continues.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Rockies.

Smith retied the game for the Dodgers in the second inning with his solo shot. The catcher now has six homers, 15 RBI and 13 runs scored in 23 games this season.

Smith is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rockies, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Smith has looked quite good in his last eight games, hitting .280/.455/.720. Austin Barnes takes over behind the plate in his absence.

Smith went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run during Friday's win over the Rockies.

With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh, Smith launched a two-run homer off Tyler Kinley, scoring Chris Taylor in the process. It was the fifth long ball of the year for the 25-year-old backstop, who is averaging .228/.392/.544 across 22 games.

Smith isn't in Thursday's lineup against the Diamondbacks.

Smith started in the past three games and went 2-for-8 with three runs, two RBI and five walks during that time. However, he'll give way to Austin Barnes behind the plate Thursday.

Smith went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in an extra-inning win over Arizona on Wednesday.

The Diamondbacks chose to pitch to Smith -- rather than try to set up a double play -- with the winning run on third base and one out in the bottom of the 10th inning, and the backstop made them pay with a game-winning single to left field. The walkoff hit was the third for Smith in only 75 career games. In contrast to his disappointing .208 batting average this season, Smith has notched a .302 xBA and owns the highest walk rate (22.9 percent) along with the fifth-best Whiff% (12.4 percent) in the league among players with at least 50 plate appearances while striking out only 10 times.

Smith went 1-for-3 with two walks, a solo home run and three runs scored Sunday against the Rangers.

Smith had a busy day at the plate, beginning in the second inning when he slugged his fourth home run of the season. He also crossed the plate in the sixth and eighth innings, both times after reaching base on a free pass. Smith is now hitting .208/.371/.521 with 11 runs scored and 11 RBI across 62 plate appearances.