Will Smith DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Friday that catcher Will Smith (ankle) could start playing in Cactus League games next week. Smith is dealing with an ankle injury that only affects him while running. It's nothing too serious, but the Dodgers are playing it safe with their 29-year-old starting catcher early in spring training, which is no surprise. Smith's final hurdle before being cleared to make his Cactus League debut next week will be completing a running program. Barring a setback, he should be ready to go on March 18 in Tokyo, Japan, to face the Chicago Cubs. Smith isn't an elite fantasy backstop, but he's still not a bad target in fantasy drafts once the big names like William Contreras and Adley Rutschman come off the board. He was a top-five fantasy catcher in 2024 and has been an All-Star the last two seasons.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that catcher Will Smith (ankle) probably won't make his Cactus League debut until next week. Smith is dealing with a minor ankle injury, but the Dodgers aren't going to push him early on in spring training. The 29-year-old has been able to catch bullpen sessions and take batting practice, but he's been held out of running drills at camp. As long as he doesn't have any setbacks once he resumes running and playing in games, Smith should be ready to go for Opening Day in Tokyo, Japan, on March 18 versus the Chicago Cubs. Smith was much better in the second half in 2024 for L.A. than in the second half, but he still finished with 20 home runs and 75 RBI in 128 regular-season games, good enough to be a top-five fantasy catcher. He is as consistent as they come in the best lineup in baseball, making him RotoBaller's No. 6 fantasy backstop.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (ankle) is "a little behind" in camp while dealing with an ankle issue, according to manager Dave Roberts. The skipper added that Smith has been running on an Alter-G treadmill. Although Smith's injury doesn't sound too serious, the 29-year-old backstop will need to be ready earlier than other players this year with the Dodgers opening up their regular season on March 18-19 in Tokyo, Japan, against the Chicago Cubs. There's still plenty of time for Smith to get ready for those games, though, so his minor ankle injury shouldn't affect his fantasy draft status for now as a top-10 catcher at RotoBaller. In a stacked Dodgers lineup that won the World Series last fall, Smith finished the 2024 regular season as a top-five catcher in fantasy and should have a very safe floor yet again once the top names come off the board in drafts.