Dominic Smith had not been thrilled that he was cracking few lineups.
He no longer cracks the 26-man roster.
In an eye-opening move for a player who had not seen the minor leagues in three years, the Mets announced Tuesday they optioned the backup first baseman/left fielder to Triple-A Syracuse.
Buck Showalter & Co., who have a shorthanded rotation and bullpen, wanted another reliever on the big league club and chose righty reliever Adonis Medina over Smith, who essentially has been replaced by lefty-hitting outfielder Nick Plummer.
“Primarily, we need a pitcher,” Showalter said before the Mets’ 10-0 victory over the Nationals. “Dom was the option we ended up with.
“And he’s had, what, over 100 plate appearances? Give him a chance to see if he can get back to the things we know he’s capable of.”
In 101 scattered plate appearances, often as a late-game pinch hitter, Smith has slashed .186/.287/.256. He has yet to hit a home run. Plummer, recalled Saturday, slammed a pair Sunday and Monday.
Smith, a 2013 first-round pick who broke out in 2019 and had a strong 2020 season, struggled last season and has yet to get his bat going this campaign. He has been open that he wants to play more, and perhaps with everyday at-bats, he would find a rhythm. But he has not hit enough to justify those at-bats.
“I feel like if you meet any big leaguer who’s OK with being on the bench, I just can’t see anybody saying that or happy to be a bench player,” Smith said May 19. “Everybody has their roles on a team, you have to be realistic with that, but there’s not too many guys walking around this league that are happy to be a bench guy.”
The Mets are opting for a short bench over a short bullpen. Drew Smith is dealing with a dislocated pinky sustained Sunday that has not put him on the IL but has kept him off the mound until Tuesday night when he allowed two hits over 1 ²/₃ scoreless innings. He struck out four, walked none and did not throw his sinker.
Chasen Shreve, Colin Holderman and Stephen Nogosek (for a second day in a row) pitched Monday. Entering Tuesday, Adam Ottavino had pitched in two of three games; Joely Rodriguez, Seth Lugo and Edwin Diaz in two out of four.
The Mets wanted another arm on a night they were starting Trevor Williams, who had not pitched more than four innings in a game this season. And they wanted Smith, who will be 27 in two weeks, to find his swing and rhythm.
“Try to settle in to some consistent at-bats knowing that he’s going to be out there every day,” Showalter said of Smith, who had not seen the minor leagues since 2019. “And also get into a groove to be who he’s capable of being.”
The manager, who acknowledged it was a “difficult” conversation with Smith, did not want to disclose how Smith received the news.
“Those things are kind of personal,” Showalter said. “I’m not broadcasting exactly what went on in there out of respect to players and everybody.”
Smith avoided this fate on May 2, when the Mets opted to designate Robinson Cano (and his hefty salary) for assignment rather than option Smith, J.D. Davis or Luis Guillorme. On May 1, Smith broke out for four hits and three RBIs, which surely helped solidify his spot.
In 19 games (12 starts) since, though, he was 6-for-46 (.130), and Plummer’s skill set has made Smith redundant.
“It’s tough. It’s tough for anybody,” Guillorme said of Smith.
Without Smith, who is a good defender at first, the Mets have a hole behind Pete Alonso. Mark Canha has started 81 games at first in his career, though just one since 2020. Eduardo Escobar started 14 games at first last season. Davis could be used, too, though Showalter said he would see more at-bats at DH, where he was starting Tuesday.
“We got a really good first baseman, Pete Alonso, and [Smith was] probably feeling like every at-bat he’s got to hit four home runs in one at-bat,” Showalter said.
“Just settle in a comfort zone. Just kind of remind himself how good [he is] — I think he knows, he’s a confident guy. I see the work he’s doing trying to be perfect in every area of the at-bat, and it’s hard to do in this game.”