Will Smith's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (hand) was lifted from Game 5 of the NLCS after taking a foul ball off his hand. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports that the backstop was taken for X-rays, but the tests were negative. As a result, DFS players should expect the primary catcher to be behind the dish this evening as the Dodgers hope to clinch the series victory over the New York Mets. During the postseason, the 29-year-old has posted an underwhelming .143/.268/.229 line with one home run and four RBI. He will face a difficult matchup this evening against Mets southpaw Sean Manaea, who has held a strong 2.65 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP across 17 innings in October.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Chicago Cubs. This looks like a rest game for Smith after he went hitless with two strikeouts during Monday's game. In his place, Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus left-hander Shota Imanaga. Barnes is a fine backup catcher with a .262 batting average over 49 games this season. However, he doesn't offer much pop with the bat and has a tough matchup here, so fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Royals want left-handed reliever William Smith (back) fresh for the last month of the 2024 regular season, so a rest on the injured could help his cause. Smith has been playing catch to keep his arm in shape. He had been dealing with back issues for a few weeks before the team placed him on the 15-day IL on Aug. 26. Smith had been trying to pitch through it, but it was impacting his performance on the mound, and his back spasms got worse after the appeared on back-to-back days against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 24 and 25, when he surrendered seven runs in just two innings. In his previous five appearances, the 35-year-old southpaw allowed 14 runs in just 4 2/3 innings, so he has clearly been bothered by his back issues. If Smith is healthy down the stretch as the Royals try to secure one of the final wild-card spots in the American League, he'll operate as a key lefty setup man.