Dominic Smith Remains In Boot, Will Be Re-Evaluated In Three Weeks
According to Tim Britton of The Athletic, New York Mets bench cog, Dominic Smith (stress reaction, left foot), will be relegated to a walking boot for the next three weeks, at which point he’ll be re-evaluated.
Smith, 24, has had an outstanding season at the plate. Over 196 plate appearances (a career-high), the Los Angeles native is slashing .278/.352/.506 with 10 homers, 10 doubles, 22 RBIs, a 9.7% walk rate, .361 wOBA, and 128 wRC+.
Despite losing his part-time role at first base to rookie wunderkind, Pete Alonso, Dom Smith lobbied the team to give him a chance in the outfield and got his wish.
Over 212 innings in left field this season, despite a few costly misplays, Smith has -3.0 defensive runs saved (-7 DRS is the current average for an MLB left fielder) and a -0.4 ultimate zone rating.
After hitting just .210/.259/.406 over his first two partial seasons in the majors (332 plate appearances), Smith’s lightning-fast progress this season was a welcome sign for all parties involved.
With a five-game gap between the Mets and a postseason berth with just under 60 games to play, Smith’s healthy return would be a boon for this ballclub.
We’ll keep you posted as new information becomes available.