The New York Mets sent struggling first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith to their Triple-A minor league affiliate in Syracuse on Tuesday.
The left-handed hitting Smith, who last played a minor league game in 2019, was replaced on the roster by right-hander Adonis Medina.
Smith, who turns 27 next month, has posted a career-low batting line in his 39 games this season (.186/.287/.256) with just five extra-base hits in 101 plate appearances.
The slugger has not homered this season, and his longball drought dates back to July 21, 2021 — lasting 93 consecutive games and 230 official at-bats.
Smith is a former first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in the 2013 MLB Draft by the Mets. He smacked 32 home runs over the previous three seasons combined until his homerless campaign thus far in 2022.
Medina, 25, has pitched in four games (all in relief) this season for the Mets in separate stints. He is 1-0 with a 5.87 ERA, allowing five runs and 10 hits with seven strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. He has not walked a batter, but has plunked three this season.
Medina earned his first major league win on May 5 at the expense of his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies. A native of the Dominican Republic, he tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings as the Mets rallied from a 7-1 ninth-inning deficit to win 8-7.
–Field Level Media
