It is never easy for players to be demoted from the majors to Triple-A. It is all the more difficult when you are a former first round draft pick who has had success at the Major League level. This is the precise situation for Dominic Smith.
With his having a -0.1 WAR and 66 wRC+, he had put himself at risk of being demoted. After a rash of pitching injuries, the New York Mets had little choice but to demote Smith. To his credit, Smith has responded by tearing the cover off of the baseball.
Through 10 games, Smith has a 166 wRC+. He has recorded a hit in nine of the 10 games, and so far, he is hitting .350/.422/.575 with three doubles, two homers, and seven RBI.
He has been especially hot lately going 6-for-8 over his past two games with two doubles and a homer. In many ways, this is exactly what you expect from a Major League caliber hitter in Triple-A, but to be fair, there is a level of mental toughness needed to perform this way as a demotion like this is a hit to any player’s ego.
In many ways, this is exactly what the Mets were hoping was going to happen. When Smith was demoted, Mets manager Buck Showalter said, “Just settle in a comfort zone. Just kind of remind himself how good [he is] — I think he knows, he’s a confident guy.”
Barring injury, players optioned to the minors cannot be recalled for 15 days. That puts Smith in a position to be called up once the Mets feel they need him back on the roster. That day may be coming sooner rather than later.
Since Smith was sent down, Nick Plummer has only played five games and has not registered a hit. Ideally, he would be in the minors getting the at-bats he needs to further develop. Moreover, with Starling Marte and Brandon Nimmo able to play through their injuries, the Mets don’t need the Plummer insurance policy the way they did a week ago.
Of course, that is only part of the equation. In the end, the Mets need to figure out what’s best for Smith and the composition of their 26 man roster. However, if Smith is going to continue hitting the ball this way, the Mets are very likely going to call up his hot hitting bat to make a real contribution to this 2022 team.
