Mets demote struggling 1B/OF Dominic Smith to Triple-A

Advertisement

Advertise with us

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have optioned first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith to Triple-A Syracuse amid a slow start to the season for the 26-year-old.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Monthly Digital Subscription

$0 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*No charge for 4 weeks then price increases to the regular rate of $19.00 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

Monthly Digital Subscription

$4.75/week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $19 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2022 (1250 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have optioned first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith to Triple-A Syracuse amid a slow start to the season for the 26-year-old.

The Mets announced Smith’s demotion Tuesday and promoted right-hander Adonis Medina before a game against the Washington Nationals.

“We needed a pitcher to try to keep everybody healthy down there,” manager Buck Showalter said. “And Dom was the option we ended up with.”

New York Mets' Dominic Smith (2) gestures to fans as he is greeted by first base coach Wayne Kirby (54) after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Mets' Dominic Smith (2) gestures to fans as he is greeted by first base coach Wayne Kirby (54) after hitting an RBI single during the fifth inning of the team's baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Smith batted .316 during a breakout season in 2020, but the 2013 first-round pick has struggled to replicate that success. He is hitting .186 this season without a home run in 101 plate appearances and with a .543 OPS.

Smith has played parts of six seasons in the majors and hasn’t played regularly at Triple-A since 2018. Showalter said Smith will primarily play first base with Syracuse.

“Give him a chance to get back to the things we know he’s capable of,” Showalter said. “Hopefully, he can do that and I have a lot of confidence he will and get back up here and help us.”

Sending down Smith allows the Mets to keep outfielder Nick Plummer on the roster. Plummer, a 25-year-old former first-round pick with five big league games, had four RBIs in a 13-5 win over Washington on Monday and hit a tying homer in the ninth inning of a 5-4, 10-inning win over Philadelphia on Sunday for his first major league hit.

Plummer is a better outfield defender than Smith, making him a versatile late-game option for Showalter.

Center fielder Brandon Nimmo was out of the lineup for the fourth straight day with a sore right wrist, but Showalter said he’s improving and could start Wednesday or Thursday.

Right-hander Tylor Megill threw a simulated game Tuesday and could make a minor league rehab start soon. Megill hasn’t pitched since May 11 with right biceps inflammation.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Report Error Submit a Tip

Baseball

LOAD MORE