Braves' Dominic Smith: Could lose playing time vs. RHPs
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Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Mets.
The left-handed-hitting Smith will retreat to the bench while the Mets send a lefty starter (Zac Thornton) to the bump Monday, but Smith will likely be headed for a reduction in playing time against right-handed pitching, too. With Atlanta welcoming Ronald Acuna (hamstring) back from the injured list Monday, Mike Yastrzemski could end up seeing most of his playing time at designated hitter, which would leave Smith as an odd man out of the lineup. Smith has been serviceable against righties with a 103 wRC+ on the season, but he's produced an underwhelming overall batting line of .220/.316/.300 over 18 games in July.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Three hits against O's
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Smith went 3-for-5 with two RBI in Sunday's extra-innings win over the Orioles.
The veteran slugger gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead with RBI singles in the second and fourth innings in an eventual 11-inning victory. It was Smith's first multi-hit performance since June 19, and over 57 plate appearances in July he's managed just a .220/.316/.300 slash line with one homer and nine RBI. Ronald Acuna's return from the IL on Monday will crowd Atlanta's playing time picture even further, and Smith seems likely to lose at-bats against right-handed pitching to Mike Yastrzemski, who is set to get more action at DH rather than in a corner outfield spot.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Homers in win
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Smith went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer in Thursday's 6-5 win over the Padres.
Making just his second start in six games, Smith put Atlanta ahead in the fourth inning by taking Griffin Canning deep for his seventh homer this season and first since June 6. Smith had gone just 3-for-19 with five walks and no extra-base hits in nine games prior to Thursday. Overall, he's slashing .264/.318/.395 with 39 RBI and 35 runs scored across 246 plate appearances this season.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Losing out on playing time
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Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Padres.
Smith will retreat to the bench for the third game in a row, with his latter two absences coming while the Padres have sent right-handed starting pitchers to the hill. The 31-year-old has held down a strong-side platoon role for much of the season, but he's been squeezed for playing time in the wake of Mike Yastrzemski's return from the injured list. The lesser role comes while Smith has provided a poor .468 OPS over 13 games since the start of July, though he could still see at least semi-regular starts until Ronald Acuna (hamstring) completes his rehab assignment.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Not in Tuesday's lineup
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Smith is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Padres.
The veteran unsurprisingly remained on the bench Monday with lefty JP Sears taking the mound for San Diego, but Smith's absence Tuesday is coming against righty Walker Buehler. Mike Yastrzemski (elbow) is serving as the designated hitter in his return from the injured list.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Retreating to bench versus lefty
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Smith is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Padres.
The left-handed-hitting Smith will hit the bench for the second time in four games since the All-Star break while Atlanta goes up against lefty JP Sears in the series opener. With Smith taking a seat, Drake Baldwin will get a day off from catching but will stay in the lineup at designated hitter.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Not starting against righty
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Smith is not in the lineup for Wednesday's tilt in Pittsburgh.
It's righty Jared Jones on the bump for the Pirates, but the left-handed-hitting Smith will begin the contest on the bench. It's the first time since May 6 that Smith has been absent from the lineup when the opposition has a right-hander on the mound. Drake Baldwin is getting a start at designated hitter, and Joey Bart will be Atlanta's catcher.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Taking seat Saturday
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Smith isn't starting for Atlanta versus the Mets on Saturday.
The lefty-hitting Smith doesn't usually start against southpaw pitchers, and that's the case Saturday as lefty Sean Manaea is on the mound for the Mets. With Smith beginning on the bench, Drake Baldwin is getting a DH day while Joey Bart takes a turn behind the plate.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Drives in three in Thursday's loss
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Smith went 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored and three RBI in Thursday's loss to the Cardinals.
The 31-year-old journeyman came to the plate with the bases loaded in the first inning and cleared them with a comebacker that deflected off Dustin May's ankle and went into shallow right field. Smith continues to see consistent playing time at DH against right-handed pitchers, but he's gone 19 straight games without a home run, managing just a .196/.259/.235 slash line over that stretch with two doubles and seven RBI. His declining production could prompt Atlanta to look for a more reliable left-handed power source at the trade deadline.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Heading to bench Sunday
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Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Giants.
The left-handed-hitting Smith will head to the bench while southpaw Robbie Ray takes the hill for the Giants. With Smith out of the lineup, Drake Baldwin will get a day from catching but will stick in the starting nine at designated hitter.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Idle against southpaw
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Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Brewers.
Smith will sit for the third time in four games, with all three of his absences coming against left-handed pitching. Drake Baldwin will get a day off from catching Sunday but will stick in the lineup at designated hitter.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Smacks sixth homer in win
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Smith went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Pirates.
Smith entered the game in an 0-for-14 dry spell at the plate in his last six games, but he launched his first homer since May 20 on Saturday. The veteran slugger has now reached base safely in 10 straight appearances as well. Smith has been effective as Atlanta's primary designated hitter in 2026, hitting .309 with 11 extra-base hits, 28 RBI, 23 runs scored and eight walks over 149 plate appearances.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Retreating to bench vs. lefty
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Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals.
After starting Atlanta's previous four games, the left-handed-hitting Smith will retreat to the bench Sunday while the Nationals send southpaw Foster Griffin to the bump. Ronald Acuna will receive a day off from playing the outfield but will remain in the lineup while filling Smith's usual role as Atlanta's designated hitter.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Smashes three-run homer
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Smith went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 9-1 win over Miami.
Smith snapped a long homer drought Wednesday, as his last long ball came over a month ago during an April 17 win in Philadelphia. The 30-year-old journeyman has found a home in 2026 as Atlanta's primary designated hitter against right-handed pitching, as injuries have disrupted the team's plan to give most of that playing time to their catching duo of Drake Baldwin (oblique) and Sean Murphy (finger). Through 98 at-bats in 39 games, Smith is hitting a torrid .337 with nine extra-base hits, 22 RBI and 15 runs scored.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Four hits in Tuesday's win
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Smith went 4-for-4 with two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Cubs.
While none of the knocks went for extra bases, it was still a strong showing for the 30-year-old. With Sean Murphy (finger) back on the IL, Smith should resume his role as Atlanta's primary DH against right-handed pitching. Through 81 plate appearances with the platoon edge this season, he's erupted for a .378/.407/.581 slash line with four homers and 18 RBI.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Losing out on starts vs. RHPs
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Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Mariners.
The left-handed-hitting Smith will be on the bench for the seventh time in eight games. He'll also be taking a seat for the second time in three games against right-handed pitching, and Smith may have to settle for more of a part-time role in those matchups moving forward after Atlanta welcomed Sean Murphy back from the injured list earlier this week.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Sitting again Sunday vs. righty
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Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Phillies.
It's the second straight contest on the bench for Smith, who saw a nine-game hit streak end Saturday when he struck out as a pinch hitter. The 30-year-old batted .364 (12-for-33) with two doubles, two homers and nine RBI during that stretch. Each of his past two absences have come versus right-handed starting pitchers as Atlanta prioritizes keeping Michael Harris' bat in the lineup at DH while he deals with a minor quad strain. The pending return of Sean Murphy (hip) from the IL presents a bigger obstacle to Smith's playing time in the long run.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Hitting bench Wednesday
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Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Nationals.
Atlanta is giving Drake Baldwin a day off from catching but keeping his bat in the lineup at designated hitter, so Smith will be the odd man out of the starting nine. A non-roster invitee in spring training, Smith secured a spot on the Opening Day squad coming out of camp and has been a pleasant surprise for Atlanta early on, slashing .345/.362/.600 with four home runs, 17 RBI and 10 runs over 18 games.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Swats fourth homer
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Smith went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Friday's win over the Phillies.
The 30-year-old got hold of a splitter up in the zone from Taijuan Walker in the third inning, giving Smith his fourth homer of the season. He's put together a blistering start to the season as Atlanta's primary DH against right-handed pitching, slashing .362/.380/.660 over 50 plate appearances with 10 runs and 16 RBI, but Smith's playing time will likely take a hit once Sean Murphy (hip) is cleared to come off the IL.
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Phillies' Taijuan Walker: Hit hard in Friday's loss
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Walker (1-3) took the loss Friday as the Phillies were routed 9-0 by Atlanta, coughing up seven runs on seven hits and three walks over four innings. He struck out four.
The right-hander served up homers to Austin Riley in the second inning and Dominic Smith in the third, the second time in four starts that Walker has been taken deep multiple times. It's been a brutal beginning to the year for the 33-year-old, and he carries a 9.16 ERA, 2.04 WHIP and 16:10 K:BB through 18.2 innings. Zack Wheeler (shoulder) will make what could be his final rehab start Sunday, but that schedule would allow Walker to get one more turn through the rotation on the road next week against the Cubs before being replaced.
