NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets have optioned first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith to Triple-A Syracuse amid a slow start to the season for the 26-year-old.
The Mets announced Smith’s demotion Tuesday and promoted right-hander Adonis Medina before a game against the Washington Nationals.
Smith batted .316 during a breakout season in 2020, but the former first-round pick has struggled to replicate that success. He is hitting .186 this season without a home run in 101 plate appearances and with a .543 OPS.
Smith has played parts of six seasons in the majors and hasn’t played regularly at Triple-A since 2018.
Sending down Smith allows the Mets to keep outfielder Nick Plummer on the roster. Plummer, a 25-year-old former first-round pick with five big league games, had four RBIs in a 13-5 win over Washington on Monday and hit a tying homer in the ninth inning of a 5-4, 10-inning win over Philadelphia on Sunday for his first major league hit.
Plummer is a better outfield defender than Smith, making him a useful late-game option for manager Buck Showalter.
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