Dominic Smith wasn’t exactly killing it at Triple-A Las Vegas, but will now be expected to help stabilize first base for the Mets.
Adrian Gonzalez’s release following the Mets’ 2-0 victory over the Yankees in the Subway Series finale Sunday left the bulk of the first-base duties to Smith, who had a pedestrian .713 OPS in 56 games this season in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.
“He didn’t drive the ball much,” said a talent evaluator who recently watched Smith.
Smith was supposed to compete for the first-base job in spring training, but sustained a quadriceps injury in his first game and never returned to the lineup.