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.

The Kansas City Royals placed left-handed reliever William Smith (back) on the 15-day injured list on Monday with lower-back spasms and recalled right-hander Carlos Hernandez from Triple-A Omaha in a corresponding move. The 35-year-old veteran southpaw had been terrible of late, and this explains why. In his last five appearances out of the bullpen since Aug. 9, he surrendered 14 earned runs on 12 hits (three home runs) while walking two and striking out five over just 4 2/3 innings pitched. The brutal stretch raised his season ERA to 6.53 and his WHIP to 1.45. Smith has gone 0-4 this year for the Royals and has only picked up one save while striking out only 29 and walking 15 hitters in 41 1/3 total innings for work. He brings plenty of experience to KC's bullpen (114 career saves), but he can remain on the waiver wire in all fantasy leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will be taking a seat in Sunday's series finale as the Dodgers play the final game of a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead, Hunter Feduccia will get the starting nod, as the typical backup catcher Austin Barnes (toe), is currently on the 10-day injured list. Smith has been in a bit of a slump this month, holding an overall .193 average but has been getting back on track of late, as he was riding a three-game hitting streak entering Sunday. Fantasy managers should expect Smith to rejoin the starting nine on Tuesday as the Dodgers host the Baltimore Orioles. Feduccia could be a sneaky play in DFS this afternoon as he will face Tampa Bay spot starter Jacob Lopez, who carries a hefty 8.44 ERA.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo shot, and two runs scored on Tuesday as his team beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-2. Smith has been on a bit of a cold streak as of late, slashing .140/.258/.228 in his last 15 games. However, the two-time All-Star has remained one of the best-hitting catchers in baseball this season and will look to build off this performance for more consistent play down the stretch. Overall, Smith is slashing .251/.331/.444 with 16 home runs, 62 RBI, and 57 runs over 420 plate appearances.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith launched three home runs in Friday's 8-5 win over the Brewers, going 3-for-3 along with a pair of walks. While it was an impressive feat, unfortunately for fantasy, all three were the solo variety, with Smith collecting just three RBI. The backstop scored four times as well. The home runs gave Smith 14 on the season and he now owns a .276-14-53-45-0 line, making him the third-highest scoring catcher for fantasy despite an up-and-down season so far. The 29-year-old hit .362 the first month of the season, then .212 in May and .203 in June, but is now off to a hot .455 start in July (5-for-11).

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Angels. It's a bit odd to see Smith taking a seat against a left-handed starting pitcher. There was no reported injury and Smith did start in three of the four games of their series against the Colorado Rockies. This appears to be a routine rest day for the 29-year-old catcher. Austin Barnes will do the catching and bat ninth versus left-hander Patrick Sandoval.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith put on a power display in Wednesday's blowout win over the hosting New York Mets, going 3-for-5 with two solo home runs. Smith launched his eighth and ninth homers on Wednesday, first belting a solo home run to left field to give the Dodgers a 1-0 lead in the second inning and later smacking a go-ahead home run to left-center field to give the team a 4-3 lead in the eighth inning. The 29-year-old slugging backstop is now slashing .296/.360/.516 with nine home runs, 14 doubles, 36 RBI, and 32 runs scored over 186 at-bats (49 games) as LA's primary option behind the dish. Continue to roll with Smith in all fantasy leagues.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of the game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday. Fantasy managers don't have anything to worry about as this appears to be a routine rest day for Smith. In his absence, Austin Barnes will handle behind the plate and bat ninth on Sunday. Fantasy managers should be able to find a better streaming option considering Barnes isn't known for his ability with the bat.

Los Angeles Dodgers backstop Will Smith will be getting the day off on Thursday as the Dodgers open a four-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Smith has started each of the past six games and holds an overall .315/.381/.479 line with four home runs. Instead, Austin Barnes will serve as the catcher for Tyler Glasnow and will bat in the nine-hole. The 34-year-old is best to fade in DFS as he enters Thursday with a .219/.359/.250 slash line with no home runs and has only appeared in 13 games this season.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith went 4-for-5 in Friday's 12-2 victory over the Blue Jays, with two of his four hits going for extra bases, including a double and his second home run of the season. The 2023 All-Star also drove in three runs and scored three times. This was the second straight game Smith has recorded four hits, raising his season slash line to .376/.413/.527 and putting himself in position as the third-highest-scoring backstop for fantasy thus far. The Dodgers face Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi on Saturday night. Smith is hitting a scorching .520/.581/.680 against lefties so far this season and is 1-for-3 off Kikuchi in his career.

Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is not in the starting lineup Saturday against the New York Mets and right-hander Jose Butto. It's a predictable absence as the Dodgers and Mets played a night game on Friday but will get together for an afternoon clash on Saturday. Smith went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and a run scored on Friday but the Dodgers took a 9-4 loss despite his efforts. The 29-year-old has come out of the gate hot this season, hitting .356 with a homer, five doubles, and an .861 OPS across 81 plate appearances, good for fourth-most among big-league backstops. The Dodgers have surprisingly dropped four of their last five entering Saturday's contest.

Kansas City Royals left-handed reliever William Smith was brought in for the ninth inning on Friday night with the club holding a 2-1 lead over the visiting Chicago White Sox, but the veteran southpaw was pulled after allowing a hit and walking one in favor of James McArthur, who ended up picking up his first save. Smith did pick up a strikeout and the hold, but it's not a good sign that manager Matt Quatraro gave him the quick hook after he allowed a double and a walk after his strikeout. The 34-year-old wasn't a high-end fantasy baseball closer to begin with, but Smith might already be losing his hold on the closer gig in Kansas City after the first week. Smith already has allowed six earned runs in three innings with a blown save and two losses, so fantasy managers scrounging for saves in the early going should consider picking McArthur up off the waiver wire.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and catcher Will Smith are finalizing a 10-year, $140 million contract extension. The 28-year-old has been one of the most productive offensive catchers since entering the big leagues in the 2019 season, putting together a career .263 average with 91 home runs and an .842 OPS across 486 games played. Most recently, he hit .261 with 19 home runs, 80 runs, 76 RBI, and a .797 OPS across 554 trips to the plate in the 2023 season. ATC projects Smith to club 21 home runs along with 74 RBI and an .823 OPS in 124 games in the 2024 season as he is every bit worthy of his 80.46 ADP as the fourth catcher off the draft board this spring.

At the moment, Kansas City Royals left-hander William Smith is the team's leading candidate to open the 2024 season as the closer after they signed him to a one-year, $5 million contract early in free agency. Smith, who turns 35 years old in July, has won three straight World Series titles with three different teams. He went 22-for-27 in save chances last year with an expected ERA of 3.35 well below his actual 4.40 ERA. If the Royals trade for a closer or land one in free agency, they could shift the veteran Smith to more of a setup role, thus strengthening the back end of their bullpen. Smith will have fantasy appeal as a closing option if the Royals don't upgrade, but save chances could be few and far between for the rebuilding Royals.

The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a contract with relief pitcher William Smith. The two sides have agreed on a one-year, $5 million deal for the 2024 campaign. The veteran southpaw began his career with the Royals back in 2012. Last season, Smith began the year as the closer with the Texas Rangers. However, he fell out of the role and became more of a late-inning option. He finished the season with a 4.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 22 saves, and a 55/17 K/BB ratio across 57 1/3 innings. Smith should be in the mix for the saves with the Royals not having a solidified closer. Fantasy managers will have to wait until Spring Training to see what the Royals plan to do with Smith in the bullpen.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher William Smith allowed the game-winning hit in Thursday's 7-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins during his inning of work when he came in with the bases loaded and no outs. Smith allowed a two-run home run to catcher Ryan Jeffers and didn't walk or strike out a batter. Josh Sborz was charged with the blown save and the loss. It was a lot to ask of the 34-year-old southpaw to wiggle out of that jam on the road. Still, it's the sixth time in Smith's last eight outings out of the bullpen that he's allowed a run. Given Smith's recent struggles, the Rangers could decide to make the move to Aroldis Chapman for some upcoming save situations, so stay tuned. Smith now has a 4.27 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 22 saves and 45 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings for Texas in 2023.

Texas Rangers relief pitcher William Smith had another rough outing in Monday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to the Diamondbacks. Smith came in to pitch the bottom of the 11th inning up by two with an automatic runner on second. He got the first two outs on a flyout and pop-out, allowed an intentional walk and an RBI double, and finally allowed a two-RBI double to end the game. The veteran had pitched well as the team's closer for most of the season but has now allowed runs in five of his nine August appearances, including consecutive three-run outings. Aroldis Chapman saw the save opportunity in this game but blew it, so Smith may be receiving a shorter leash in the near future. He has held the lead in the closer's role over Chapman to this point, but fantasy managers should keep an eye on the situation in the coming days.

Texas Rangers left-handed pitcher William Smith blew the save and took the loss on Sunday against the San Francisco Giants, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Smith gave up a walk-off two-run homer to Patrick Bailey with two outs in the tenth. Meanwhile, Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the ninth inning. While this could become a competition for the closer role, Smith has been solid enough this year that the Rangers' could decide not the mess with things. Before today, his last blown save was on July 3, and he has only blown three this season. Still, holding onto Chapman in leagues where saves are important is a good idea.

Texas Rangers left-handed pitcher William Smith notched his 19th save of the season on Thursday in a 5-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. Smith allowed just a base hit while striking out a pair in his inning of work. The 34-year-old veteran is having a vintage season, pitching to a 2.70 ERA and 0.83 WHIP with a 42:8 K:BB ratio in 40 IP. It looked like Aroldis Chapman was coming for his job when the Rangers acquired him last month, but Smith has all but one of the Rangers saves since and looks to be firmly ahead of Chapman on the depth chart. He should be rostered in all formats as the closer of a top-five squad.