It’s unclear if the hot-hitting Smith is going to sit against all left-handers, but him getting a breather with Sale on the mound makes complete sense. Randal Grichuk will function as the team’s designated hitter on Friday night and will bat third for the D’Backs.

Smith stayed hot Tuesday against the Rays, doubling in the first inning before taking Zack Littell deep for a two-run blast in the third. He later drew a walk in the eighth and scored on a sacrifice fly. The 29-year-old is slashing an excellent 397/.500/.759 with four homers, 13 runs scored, and nine RBI across 70 plate appearances as he remains in a strict strong-side platoon.

Smith also drew two walks, and is off to about as hot of a start as you can realistically have. The four-reach game now has him hitting .404/.491/.745 over 51 at-bats. It goes without saying that regression is coming, but it’s going to be said anyway: Regression is coming. Still, Smith was impressive at the end of 2025, and it’s fun to see the former first-round pick carry that over to the start of the year.

Smith has become a full-blown fixture in the heart of this Diamondbacks order. He’s hit third against every right-handed pitcher they’ve faced since April 1st and has a 1.024 OPS since then. Of course, he’s also struck out 14 times in 42 plate appearances, letting us know these good times won’t last forever. Still, it’s worth riding Smith during this hot streak as a key contributor in Arizona’s strong lineup.