Ahead of Wednesday’s matchup against their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets placed pitcher Drew Smith on the injured list with a right elbow strain. A couple of hours before the news, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters that Smith was undergoing an MRI after experiencing forearm tightness.
RHP Drew Smith has been placed on the 15-Day IL, retroactive to June 24, with a right elbow sprain.
RHP Ty Adcock has been recalled from Triple-A Syracuse.
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 26, 2024
Though the organization did not reveal much information, the test results clearly did not look promising. While the expected length of his absence is not yet known, the Mets will be without Smith for at least the next 15 days.
New York will play 14 games during those 15 days. Plus, eight of those games overlap with the suspension of closer Edwin Díaz. The Mets were already expected to be hamstrung in the bullpen since they can’t replace Díaz on the roster during the suspension.
Losing Smith, a candidate to pick up the high-leverage slack without Díaz, will only worsen the bullpen situation for the next several days.
New York Mets Place Drew Smith on the Injured List
Smith last pitched on Sunday night against the Chicago Cubs. He faced three batters, got two outs (one strikeout), and gave up one hit. While the box score says he pitched well, Smith did not look right during the outing.
During the outing, cameras caught Smith shaking his arm in between pitches. Additionally, after recording the first two outs, the Dallas native seemed to call Mendoza and trainers out to the mound. He remained in the game but was pulled after allowing a hit to the next batter.
It appears that Sunday’s outing helped lead to the Mets placing Smith on the injured list on Wednesday. Mendoza brought Smith into the game immediately after the umpires ejected Díaz due to alleged “sticky stuff” on his hand. Due to the spontaneously urgent nature of the outing, Smith rushed his warmup and struggled to get his arm loose.
Carlos Mendoza says that Drew Smith is dealing with forearm tightness and will get imaging.
Mendoza says he’s “not too concerned” about the situation. pic.twitter.com/vWJH0fa0zT
— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2024
Smith missed almost six weeks earlier this season with right shoulder soreness. The 30-year-old has also dealt with a plethora of arm-related injuries throughout his career. The severity of the latest arm injury remains unknown, but Mendoza told reporters that he is not too concerned. However, Smith’s long injury history likely won’t give Mets fans hope of a quick return.
Despite the lack of durability, Smith represented one of the relievers Mendoza trusted in high-leverage spots. In 19 games this season, the 30-year-old has tossed 17 2/3 innings with a 3.06 ERA (128 ERA+) and 23 strikeouts. He appeared set to earn more important innings, and possibly pick up some saves, with Díaz suspended. Instead, the Mets place Smith on the injured list days after losing a reliever with a 1.66 ERA.
In a corresponding move, the Mets called up right-hander Ty Adcock from Triple-A Syracuse.
Photo Credit: © Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
