Mets recall Rafael Montero, place Josh Smoker on disabled list

The Mets have called up Rafael Montero from Triple-A Las Vegas and placed Josh Smoker on the 10-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain.

Montero’s return is unlikely to inspire much confidence in Mets fans. He carries an 8.24 ERA in the majors this season, along with a 2.54 WHIP. He has, however, been much more effective in Las Vegas. In 29 inning with the 51s, Montero has a 2.48 ERA and managed to keep his strikeouts up and walks down. That’s a notable change from last season, when he was bad at both the major and minor league levels.

Smoker was left in for 81 pitches—a new career high—in the Mets’ Tuesday night loss to the Cubs. His previous career high was 48 pitches. In 29.0 innings with the Mets this year, Smoker has a 7.45 ERA with 11.17 strikeouts, 5.28 walks, and 2.17 home runs allowed per nine innings.