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The Mets will promote No. 2 prospect Dominic Smith to the majors on Friday, general manager Sandy Alderson announced Thursday afternoon. The first baseman will make his debut against the Phillies.
Smith’s call-up marks the second time in less than two weeks the Mets have promoted one of their top prospects. They brought up No. 1 prospect and shortstop Amed Rosario on Aug. 1. It also comes a day after the club dealt power-hitting outfielder Jay Bruce to the Indians and two weeks after they traded former first baseman Lucas Duda to the Rays.
A power-hitting left-hander, Smith hit .330 with 16 home runs and 76 RBI in 114 games this season for Triple-A Las Vegas. The 22-year-old was the 11th pick overall in the 2013 MLB Draft. In his five seasons in the minors, he has had 40 homers and 316 RBI, with 30 of his homers and 167 of his RBI coming since 2016 while playing in Double-A and Triple-A.
The Mets hope Smith can become a big bat in their lineup and ultimately help them get back to being a championship contender like in 2015 when they made the World Series. The Mets are 50-61 and are expected to not make the playoffs after getting there in each of the last two seasons.