Mets place Dominic Smith on injured list, recall Aaron Altherr

The Mets have placed Dominic Smith on the injured list with a stress reaction in his left foot and called up Aaron Altherr to take his place on the active roster. Smith has been playing the outfield regularly lately in an effort to get him playing time as a hitter, while Altherr is a natural outfielder who has struggled mightily at the plate in his recent stints in the majors.

Although Smith has cooled off over the past few weeks, he’s still put up impressive numbers so far this year. In 196 plate appearances, he has a .278/.352/.506 line with 10 home runs and a 128 wRC+.

After spening the first five years of his major league career with the Phillies coming into 2019, Altherr started the year in Philadelphia, wound up making one plate appearance for the Giants after they picked him up, and landed with the Mets after the Giants let him go. In total, he’s made 42 plate appearances at the big league level this year, has a 38.1% strikeout rate, and has hit just .050/.095/.150 with a -40 wRC+.