PORT ST. LUCIE — Dominic Smith spent much of his offseason in a gym and restructuring his diet, reporting to spring training about 30 pounds lighter and ready to compete for the Mets first-base job. For all that preparation, he had the worst baseball spring of his life.
In his first Grapefruit League game this spring, on Feb. 24, Smith was running the bases, not realizing a ball Jose Reyes hit had been ruled a ground-rule double. Smith sprinted from first to home on the play and felt discomfort in his right quadriceps.