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.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Big night against Cleveland
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Smith went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in Friday's win over the Guardians.
The 30-year-old has had an impressive start to the season as a strong-side platoon option at designated hitter. Through 10 games, Smith is slashing .357/.400/.571 with two homers, eight runs and eight RBI, but his playing time could take a hit once Sean Murphy (hip) comes off the IL.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Idle against lefty
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Smith is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Angels.
The left-handed-hitting Smith will be relegated to the bench for the second straight game while the Angels send another southpaw (Reid Detmers) to the bump. With Smith sitting out, Jonah Heim will receive a start at catcher and Drake Baldwin will serve as Atlanta's designated hitter.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Sitting versus righty
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Smith is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks, Chad Bishop of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Smith's three previous absences from the lineup this year came against lefty starters, but he's sitting Sunday despite the fact that right-hander Brandon Pfaadt is pitching for Arizona. Ronald Acuna is resting his legs as the DH, which allows Eli White to pick up a start in right field.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Walk-off grand slam in team debut
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Smith went 1-for-4 with a grand slam in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Royals.
Smith played the role of hero Saturday, crushing a walk-off grand slam in his team debut to punctuate Atlanta's six-run comeback in the ninth inning. With Sean Murphy (hip) on the injured list to begin the year and Jurickson Profar suspended for the entire season, the left-handed-hitting Smith has a clear pathway to at-bats at designated hitter versus right-handed pitching for the time being.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Could make Opening Day roster
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Atlanta signed Smith to a one-year split contract Saturday.
Smith was invited to spring training by Atlanta in mid-February and slashed .242/.342/.364 with one home run and four RBI in 38 plate appearances over 12 Grapefruit League games. If he makes the Opening Day roster, Smith could see some work as the designated hitter against right-handed pitching for as long as Sean Murphy (hip) is sidelined.
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Braves' Dominic Smith: Links up with Atlanta as NRI
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Atlanta signed Smith to a minor-league contract Tuesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Smith played well in 63 games with the Giants last season, slashing .284/.333/.417 with five home runs. The 30-year-old has not started a game at a position other than first base since 2021, when he was the Mets' regular left fielder. Matt Olson has played all 162 games in each of his four seasons in Atlanta, which means Smith is almost certainly ticketed for Triple-A Gwinnett.
