Drew Smith to undergo Tommy John surgery

Drew Smith will undergo Tommy John surgery tomorrow to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, Mickey Callaway announced to the media today. Smith had recently complained of soreness in the elbow and he was promptly sent to New York for an MRI, which revealed bad news for the Mets.

The 25-year-old righty was one of the many relievers in camp competing for one of the two final bullpen spots behind Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, and Justin Wilson. The Fort Worth, Texas native was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the third round of the 2015 MLB draft. Acquired in the trade that sent Lucas Duda to Tampa in July 2017, Smith made his major league debut last season and showed some promise. In 28 innings of relief last season, Smith posted a 3.54 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, and 3.66 FIP. In four innings of work this spring, he gave up eight hits, three walks, and two runs—both unearned.

Smith will now miss the entire 2019 season. He is still under team control through 2024 and the time spent on the 60-day injured list this season will likely result in the accumulation of a year of service time. Smith will spend the year rehabbing and set his sights on cracking the 2020 bullpen.