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Pavin Smith Scratched on Thursday Evening With Elbow Soreness
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Pavin Smith (elbow) has been scratched from the Opening Day lineup on Thursday evening against the division-rival Los Angeles Dodgers due to left-elbow soreness, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The Diamondbacks don't believe that Smith's elbow injury is serious, so he could be right back in the lineup on Friday night in L.A. Tim Tawa will make the start at designated hitter in place of Smith for the Snakes versus Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Smith has earned regular at-bats in Arizona between first base and designated hitter after hitting .262/.357/.475 with an .832 OPS, 17 home runs, 64 RBI, and 62 runs scored in 147 games and 446 plate appearances over the last two seasons. However, he had a career-high 31.9% strikeout rate in 2025 and has just a .597 career OPS against left-handed pitchers. It's a limited fantasy ceiling for Smith. UPDATE: Smith will have an MRI exam on his left elbow on Friday.
Source: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
Source: MLB.com - Steve Gilbert
