The Los Angeles Dodgers found themselves with a sudden hole at catcher after an injury to starter Will Smith. While the Dodgers wait for Smith's recovery, Los Angeles has signed his potential replacement to a major league contract.

The Dodgers have signed Austin Wynns, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. In turn, Los Angeles placed Smith on the 7-day concussion injury list.

Smith took a couple foul tips to the face mask in the Dodgers' Wednesday contest against the Giants. On Thursday, Smith began feeling “uneasy and foggy,” per Dave Roberts via Ardaya. Now, Smith will get some time to rest and heal up after his unfortunate head injury.

Losing their starting catcher will be a major hit to the Dodgers' offense. Smith was off to a hot start during the 2023 season. The catcher was hitting .333 with three home runs and 12 RBI over the first 11 games of the season. Coming off of two 20+ home run campaigns, the Dodgers will need to find another source of power without Smith.

Los Angeles is hoping it comes from Austin Wynns. Wynns has split his five-year MLB career between the Baltimore Orioles and San Francisco Giants. Over 181 total games, Wynns has hit .230 with 12 home runs and 51 RBI.

While the stats may not look impressive, the Dodgers clearly believe in Wynns. By giving him a major league contract, perhaps he will stay on the roster when Will Smith returns. For now, Wynns will help Los Angeles at backstop while they wait for hopefully good news on Smith's head injury.