New York Mets Recall Dominic Smith From Triple A Syracuse; What it Means
NEW YORK - He has returned.
The Mets have recalled first baseman/designated hitter Dominic Smith from Triple A Syracuse.
With MLB going back to having teams carry a maximum of 13 pitchers per roster on June 20, the Mets placed reliever Seth Lugo on the paternity list, and called up Smith on Monday. The Mets will need to option a pitcher once Lugo is ready to return later this week.
After getting off to a rough start offensively this season, slashing .186/.287/.256 with a .543 OPS in 39 games, the Mets sent Smith to Syracuse on May 31 to find his footing at the plate. While getting a chance to play every day in Triple A, the 27-year-old was able to re-discover his stroke a bit, hitting .266/.347/.438 with two home runs, five doubles and 10 RBIs across 15 games.
In Smith's absence, J.D. Davis has become the Mets' primary DH. Davis, who has consistently hit the ball very hard, but had some tough luck early on this season, has hit .294 with an .804 OPS across his last seven games.
With Smith back, it could mean that he will get another chance to platoon with Davis at DH. But should this blueprint not work out again, the Mets may need to make another tough decision down the road. If Smith's and Davis' performance are dependent on receiving regular at-bats, It's hard to envision the Mets continuing to carry both players on the roster due to limited playing opportunities.
"Dom's capable of making contributions for us," manager Buck Showalter said of Smith's return after Monday's 6-0 win over the Marlins. "In whatever role he's in, he's ready to help. We took him down there to get him going a bit, and he did that, so that's how you get back here."
The Mets are hoping that Smith's recent success can translate to the big-leagues now that he is back in Queens. But it might not come with regular at-bats, given the presence of Pete Alonso at first base, and Davis at DH.
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