Mets bullpen goes further into disarray with Drew Smith injury
The Mets bullpen, already a mess with the suspension of Edwin Diaz, is now also without Drew Smith, who was placed on the 15-day IL Wednesday with a right elbow sprain.
Right-hander Ty Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to take Smith’s spot on the roster, although it was unclear if he’d make it to Citi Field in time for Wednesday night’s game.
That means the Mets were possibly two men down in the pen, since they were short-handed because of Diaz’s ban for using an illegal substance before he entered Sunday’s game in Chicago against the Cubs.
Carlos Mendoza said Smith played catch Wednesday and “felt some tightness in his forearm.”
Smith was sent for an MRI exam, which showed the sprain.
Asked if it was related to Smith’s appearance Sunday in Chicago, when he replaced the ejected Diaz and displayed some discomfort with his arm during that outing, Mendoza said Smith “didn’t pinpoint” any particular issue after the appearance.
“He just had a hard time getting warm,’’ Mendoza said. “[Tuesday and Wednesday] he just had some tightness there. He doesn’t sound too concerned, but he still feels something there and e want to make sure we’re not missing anything to put him at risk.”
The 30-year-old Smith has mostly struggled in 19 appearances this season with the Mets.
Diaz, who has not addressed the media since the 10-game suspension was handed down, was not made available again prior to Wednesday’s game against the Yankees.
Without Diaz, Mendoza said he will use a closer by committee.
The pen struggled in the Subway Series opener against the Yankees on Tuesday after the Mets had a 9-1 lead heading into the seventh.
Dedniel Nunez was solid again for 2 ⅔ innings, but Adam Ottavino retired just one of the three batters he faced in the eighth, as did his replacement, lefty Danny Young.
Reed Garrett allowed a grand slam to Aaron Judge that got the Yankees back in the game before the right-hander settled down with a scoreless ninth.
Adcock, 27, pitched a dozen games with the Mariners a year ago and had a 0.702 WHIP over 15 ⅔ innings.
The Mets selected him off waivers from the Tigers in May, but Adcock did not pitch well at any of the three Triple-A stops he made this season, starting with Seattle’s affiliate earlier in the year.
The Mets are already without Sean Reid-Foley, who is on the 15-day IL with right shoulder impingement, as well as left-hander Brooks Raley, out for the season following elbow surgery.
There has been encouraging news on right-hander Shintaro Fujinami, still on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder strain.
He pitched a scoreless inning in a rehab game with the FCL Mets in Port St. Lucie Tuesday and Mendoza said the 30-year-old, who signed with the Mets as a free agent during the offseason, is due to have at least one more outing there.
Fujinami pitched fairly well with the Orioles last season after an ugly start to the season with Oakland.
He hit 98 MPH on Tuesday.
