ThinkBlueLA has learned that Rancho Cucamonga Quakes catcher / utility infielder Will Smith has been promoted to the Dodgers Double-A affiliate Tulsa Drillers.

Although there has been no official confirmation of the move from the Dodgers or the Quakes, a source close to the situation said that the 22-year-old Louisville, Kentucky native and Dodgers 2016 first round draft pick out of the University of Louisville was notified of the move late Saturday evening and is already en route to Tulsa to join the Drillers.

In his 72 games with the Quakes this season, Smith posted a slash-line of .232 / .355 / .488 for an OPS of .803. And while these may not be earth shattering numbers, Smith is third on the team in home runs (11), tied for second in doubles (15) and tied for third in triples (3). He is also third in RBIs (43) and fourth in stolen bases (6).

Smith was named as the Cal League’s Player of the Week on April 24. Since then he has continued to swing a hot bat, including this two-run home run against the Lancaster JetHawks on July 3.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

But where Smith really excels is in his defense behind the plate, where he has thrown out 30 would-be base stealers this season for a remarkable 48 percent caught-stealing rate. He has also seen action at second base (five games) and third base (six games).

For those with suspicious minds, the timing of this move is… well… suspicious. Earlier on Saturday, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal was forced to exit the Dodgers game against the Kansas City Royals after suffering what was reported as a left hand contusion. This was followed by a later report that X-rays had come back negative.

Although the Dodgers have only Sunday afternoon’s series finale with the Royals before the All-Star break, they will undoubtedly be without Grandal as a back-up for Dodgers second catcher Austin Barnes. They certainly could risk playing without an official back-up for Barnes for one day, or they could simply go with super utility Kiké Hernandez as their so-called emergency catcher if needed. That being said, Dodgers top catching prospect Kyle Farmer, who is currently assigned to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, is already on the Dodgers 40-man roster, so he could be called up without the team having to make a corresponding 40-man roster move. The 26-year-old Atlanta, Georgia native and Dodgers 2013 eighth-round draft pick out of the University of Georgia currently owns a very impressive slash-line of .317 / .362 / .518 for an excellent OPS of .880 at OKC. But here again, because it is only one game we are talking about here, all of this is nothing more than pure speculation.

Regardless, we send our heartiest congratulations to Will Smith on his well-deserved promotion to Double-A