How Dominic Smith's strong game may have saved his Mets roster spot
NEW YORK — There were murmurs of a trade sending him to San Diego. There were other viable options to compete with off the bench, including the player with the most hits of the 2010s. The deadline for shrinking the roster looms for May 2.
Dom Smith has withstood all of that in the past month. Smith has searched for playing time, even with the addition of a designated hitter to the National League, and mainly watched as the Mets have leaped out to the best record in the National League.
"I really try to focus in on the little things," Smith said Sunday night. "When you don't have consistent at-bats, it's unfair to yourself if you only base your success on getting base hits."
Before Sunday night's series finale against the Phillies, the biggest mark Smith had made on the early Mets season was beating out an infield single against Nolan Arenado's throw during the St. Louis series. A 6-for-36 start to the year meant that if the Mets needed to bring someone from the bench down to the minors, Smith was at least a candidate.
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Sunday night changed that for Smith and might have saved his roster spot. Going 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs, Smith sparked a 10-6 win over the Phillies to give the Mets another series win. The Mets have won their first seven series of the season for the first time in franchise history and currently own the best record in the National League at 16-7.
"We needed it," said manager Buck Showalter after the game. "It's just a reminder of the type of contributor he can be offensively."
Smith entered Sunday with only six hits in 36 at-bats this season, a slow start after career highs in hits, RBIs, walks and runs scored in 2021. As one of the few position players with options left, Smith was in danger of being sent down when rosters shrink to 26 players on Monday afternoon.
"To be honest, I haven't really thought about it," said Smith. "I haven't gone on social media too much and it is what it is. It's the business of baseball and it's out of my control. All I can do is what I did tonight, which is help the team win and try to put together good at-bats."
It may ultimately be out of Smith's control, but a performance like the one on Sunday night is definitely a nudge in favor of Smith staying put. Smith has dealt with a strong start by Pete Alonso, regardless of whether he plays first base or is the designated hitter. As Alonso has played well in the field, Smith has found himself on the losing end of playing time with J.D. Davis and Robinson Cano also getting starts at DH.
Smith said he had a small conversation with Showalter last week regarding his status with the team and a performance like Sunday's likely garners more opportunities for him.
"He told me he's going to keep me in the loop of whatever he knows and he respects me as a player," said Smith. "I don't know whose decision that is."
That decision still needs to be made by the Mets before noon on Monday, when two members of the active roster will be optioned. A tight-lipped Showalter would not reveal who those players were Sunday night, nor would he reveal if those players had been notified yet.
"It's going to be tough, period," said Showalter. "We're going to have to part ways with someone, well, two. It's going to be painful, but we've got some good players.
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This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Dominic Smith needed on NY Mets roster after recent performance
