The Los Angeles Dodgers placed catcher Will Smith on the seven-day concussion list Sunday after he had been sidelined for the first two games of their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs.
Smith has started 10 of the Dodgers’ 15 games behind the plate this season. The move was made retroactive to April 13.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday that Smith, who took two hard foul balls off his face mask in last week’s series against the San Francisco Giants, passed a concussion test Friday but the team is being cautious.
“Symptomatically, he just doesn’t feel well,” Roberts told reporters, according to the Los Angeles Times. “He felt uneasy and foggy, so coming into Friday we took him through the testing. In the ensuing days, he felt a little bit better, but we just want to be prudent and not run him out there.”
Catcher Austin Wynns was signed to a major league contract in a corresponding move and right-hander Alex Reyes was transferred to the 60-day injured list to fit Wynns on the 40-man roster.
Smith is the Dodgers’ leading hitter, with a .333 batting average, and is second on the team with 12 RBIs in 11 games. He also has three home runs.
“It’s a big loss,” Roberts said. “We’re putting a lot of workload on Austin Barnes right now, which he’s accepting. But to not have Will in the lineup, it’s a big blow.”
Wynns started the season with the Giants and was designated for assignment on Monday. He hit .259 with three homers and 21 RBIs for San Francisco last season and also spent three years with Baltimore.
Wynns was at home in Nashville, Tennessee, when he found out about the deal. He boarded a plane for the West Coast early Sunday and joined his new team to begin preparing to start against the New York Mets on Monday.
“I want to learn, adapt and do the best I can because this is a winning culture,” the 32-year-old Wynns said. “And I’m going to do what I do.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com