4 years agoNew York Mets first baseman/outfielder Dominic Smith blasted a two-run home run in the Mets' 8-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday. Smith, playing left field and batting fifth, went 1-for-4 on the day, with just the HR, his first of the 2021 campaign. After, almost inexplicably, sitting the first game of the season, Smith showed just why his bat needs to be in the Mets' lineup on a regular basis. Notably, Smith was replaced for defensive purposes later in the game, when Albert Almora Jr. came on to play centerfield and Brandon Nimmo shifted over to left field. Smith had a huge breakout campaign in 2020 and can potentially return 30-plus HR and 80-90 RBI over the course of a full season. Smith will likely lose some playing time if he is regularly removed from games for defensive purposes, as was the case on Tuesday. As such, managers rostering Smith should temper expectations and realize his counting stats may take a slight hit if he loses some at-bats in the later innings. In terms of potentially being relegated to a platoon role which would significantly impact his fantasy value, it is likely rational minds will prevail and we won't see Smith's bat relegated to the bench as was the case on Opening Day.--Nick Ritrivi - RotoBaller
Source: MLB.com