Cam

Smith

The Pirates scored three runs in the top of the seven to go up 8-3, only to lose after the Astros rallied with two in bottom of the inning and six in the eighth. Smith’s triple on a grounder down the first base line gave the Astros the lead. It was his first of this season after he had three as a rookie last year. He’s currently hitting .221/.312/.358 in 235 plate appearances. It’s almost a perfect match for last year’s .236/.312/.358 line in 493 plate appearances.

Smith had three of the game’s five hardest-hit balls tonight, ranging from a 105.9-mph groundout to a 108-mph double. His homer came in at 107.5 mph and was hit 419 feet to left-center. Smith somehow was hitting just .118 with three extra-base hits in home games until busting out some tonight. He had 48 total bases on the road at 14 in Houston.

The Astros nearly botched a golden opportunity after loading the bases with none out in the 10th, with Jose Altuve hitting into an unusual 6-2-5 double play. Smith, however, then plated two with a two-out liner off the Green Monster. It gave him his second three-hit game of the year. He’s hitting .229/.316/.381 through 137 plate appearances.

Smith capped off a five-run uprising in the opening inning with a 414-foot (108.1 mph EV) three-run shot off of Orioles’ right-hander Brandon Young. That would be hit lone hit in four at-bats on the night, though he also worked a walk. For the season, the 23-year-old outfielder is slashing an underwhelming .219/.317/.381, though he has blasted four home runs, stolen four bases and driven in 15.

He’ll likely start the second game. Smith has seen his OPS nosedive over the past week — he was at .868 on April 15, and he enters play on Thursday at .670, with just one steal or homer over that timespan.

This is a routine day off for Smith, who has gone 3-for-22 over his last seven games. However, even over that stretch, he has a 4/4 K/BB ratio, a 45 percent hard hit rate, and four barrels. His .136 batting average over that last week is a far cry from his .293 xBA. While expected stats are not perfect, Smith continues to make plenty of hard contact this season, with massive improvements in bat speed and better plate discipline. We’d imagine a hot stretch is coming again. In the meantime, Taylor Trammell will continue to start in center field, Dustin Harris will play right field against a right-handed pitcher, and Brice Matthews will start in left field.

Smith blistered a pair of doubles and singled twice. The 23-year-old was in a mini-slump with a 1-for-11 mark over his last three games, but this is more inline — to a higher extent, of course — to what we’ve seen to begin the 2026 season. He’s now up to an OPS of .941, and it’s a wonderful reminder of why fantasy managers were so excited to see what he can do in 2025.

Smith absolutely destroyed a Ryan Feltner offering, and it traveled an estimated 462 feet in the air with an exit velocity just under 111 mph. He also drew a walk and doubled to raise his slash to .297/.422/.595 with three homers in the first 11 games. There’s a long way to go, but it’s great to see Smith look like the player that enticed — but ultimately disappointed — fantasy managers in 2025 as a rookie.

Smith draws his first off day after starting eight consecutive contests in right field. The 23-year-old former top prospect is hitting .222 (6-for-27) with one homer and two steals this season. The fact that he’s posted a near-elite 74.4 mph bat speed so far is an encouraging sign for his future, even if he’s not making a ton of loud contact right now. It’ll be Joey Loperfido taking over in right field in his place.

The homer was hit just 346 feet and would have been an out in a lot of ballparks, but he’ll take it. The walk came five pitches after Smith somehow got away with a phantom swing and a miss for strike three, but he’ll also take that. Smith doesn’t seem quite ready to bust out as a star as a sophomore, but if he keeps playing regularly, he’ll probably offer some mixed-league value.