The Los Angeles Dodgers have a key player back in their lineup Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals as Will Smith returns from a concussion, but in the process, they placed JD Martinez on the IL, backdated to April 25th, as announced by the team. The Dodgers also made a couple of other moves:

Smith was out for just under two weeks after taking a foul ball off his catcher's mask. LA won't put him behind the dish right away, with the 28-year-old serving as the DH Friday in place of Martinez.

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Martinez has been nursing a sore back in the last few days and to prevent any further damage, the Dodgers are just giving him some time off. The slugger is swinging it well with Los Angeles after coming over in the offseason, hitting .250 with four homers, nine doubles, two triples, and 15 RBI in 23 games. He's also slugging .534. It's just some lower back tightness therefore it shouldn't keep Martinez out for too long. That's the hope, at least.

The Dodgers offense is producing 5.1 runs per game but sits at just .500 baseball, much in part to the inconsistency of their pitching staff, which owns a 4.72 ERA. Brusdar Graterol's return to the bullpen should help while Max Muncy is also in the mix again after having his first child.

Dave Roberts' squad plays the Cardinals all weekend long before facing the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres next week. A tough stretch ahead for the organization as they look to find a rhythm after a dismal start.