Mets' Dominic Smith off IL, sent back to Triple-A Syracuse again
Dominic Smith #2 of the Mets strikes out to end the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Citi Field on Tuesday, June 28, 2022. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Mets demoted Dominic Smith to Triple-A Syracuse again Thursday.
Officially, Smith was reinstated from the injured list and sent down. Logistically, he didn’t go anywhere. He already was with Syracuse on a rehab assignment, so now he will stay there (and no longer make major-league money).
This move seemed inevitable once the Mets replaced Smith while he was out. They added Daniel Vogelbach as the lefthanded-hitting portion of the DH platoon, plus Tyler Naquin as another lefty hitter. The righty-batting Darin Ruf has been backing up Pete Alonso at first base.
Smith’s significant struggles included a .194 average, .276 OBP and .284 slugging percentage when he sprained his right ankle on July 16. He hasn’t homered in the majors since July 2021.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
