‘SORE’ SMITH
Dom, who needs time in left field, scratched due to wrist issue
JUPITER, FLA. – Dominic Smith, who needs all the reps he can get in left field, was forced to miss a start Wednesday due to injury. Smith arrived at Mets camp with “general wrist soreness,” per manager Luis Rojas. The team opted to give him the day off from swinging, though he was still able to do defensive work back at Clover Park. Smith is considered day-to-day as the Mets plan to check on his status Thursday following treatment, which involved wearing some sort of wristband, but not a brace, to limit his range of motion, according to Rojas.
He was scratched from Wednesday’s lineup against the Marlins. Smith was initially slotted in as the starting left fielder, batting fifth. Outfielder Mallex Smith took his place.
Rojas does not believe Smith’s wrist injury was related to his defensive play on Tuesday, when he extended his right arm for an attempted catch against the leftfield wall. Smith also hit a home run moments after that play.
“He actually said it’s something that he’s had in the past, so it’s probably from a swing,” Rojas said.
The skipper indicated Smith’s right wrist soreness increased due to the number of swings he’s been taking on a daily basis. After an inactive and restful offseason, suddenly ramping up his at-bats may have led to the “general soreness in the movement of his wrist,” Rojas said.
Rojas said the Mets can “take advantage” of Smith being forced to miss the game by letting him work on his defense in a controlled practice, like he did on Wednesday. He had a constructive session with outfield coach Tony Tarasco on reading fly balls off the bat and working on his route efficiency. Even though Smith missed the chance to make his fourth start in left field Wednesday, Rojas said he thought it was a productive day for him.
“I know he’s not doing it ingame with the adrenaline rush that you can have when you’re facing another uni and you’re playing behind all your pitchers and different things like that that come into play,” Rojas said. “There’s a lot of good teaching when that happens, when you know you don’t have to save energy for the game. But all your energy, you’re using it for practice and you’re doing it at game speed.”
Smith is batting .182 (4-for22) with two home runs and six RBI over eight Grapefruit League games, though he started in left field in only three of those games. The Mets said they were being cautious with Smith’s starts in left purely as a preventative measure to avoid a relapse of his 2019 left foot stress fracture.
Last month, Smith arrived at camp in Port St. Lucie a few days after the team’s official report date for position players. Neither the team nor Smith provided a reason, medical or otherwise, for the late arrival.