NEW YORK — Mets reliever Drew Smith was placed on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday with a right elbow sprain, an untimely blow for a New York bullpen already missing suspended closer Edwin Díaz.
Right-hander Ty Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse to replace Smith on the roster, an announcement the Mets made about 40 minutes before the first pitch of their Subway Series game against the New York Yankees at Citi Field.
The move was made retroactive to Monday.
Smith is 1-1 with a 3.06 ERA and two saves in 19 appearances this season. He was on the IL from April 24 to June 1 because of right shoulder soreness.
The 30-year-old right-hander made his major league debut with the Mets in 2018 and is the longest-tenured pitcher on the team.
New York is playing a man short without Díaz, who began serving a 10-game suspension Tuesday after getting ejected from Sunday night’s victory over the Chicago Cubs for having an illegal foreign substance on his hand.
Smith was summoned without notice to replace Díaz and warmed up entirely on the mound at Wrigley Field. He got two outs without giving up a run but was visited by an athletic trainer during the outing because he was having trouble getting loose.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Smith felt tightness while playing catch the past two days, so he was sent for imaging Wednesday afternoon.
Adcock was looking to make his Mets debut. He made his big league debut last season with Seattle and compiled a 3.45 ERA in 12 appearances totaling 15 2/3 innings.