The Boston Red Sox recently learned that they will be without first baseman Triston Casas for a while because of an injury.
At 17-13, the Red Sox are very much contenders and while their roster is flawed, it’s competitive enough to stay in the race under the right circumstances.
Losing Casas, a budding star in the middle of the lineup, was obviously not ideal, but they moved quickly and brought in a quality replacement in Garrett Cooper.
More is needed, though: depth is always important, and having a decent player lined up in case something happens to Cooper became an organizational priority.
That’s why the Red Sox are giving a former MLB slugger a chance.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, Boston is bringing in Dom Smith, who has experience at first base and in the outfield corners, on a major league deal.
There is talent in Smith’s left-handed bat, but injuries and inconsistency have derailed his career to this point.
He is a career .248/.313/.407 hitter with 58 home runs and a 97 wRC+ (100 denotes a league-average performer offensively).
The last we saw of Smith in MLB came last year with the Washington Nationals, with which he hit .254/.326/.366 with 12 home runs (90 wRC+) in 586 plate appearances.
His best years came with the New York Mets in 2019 and 2020.
He finished those seasons with a 134 and a 166 wRC+, respectively, albeit in limited samples.
Smith does not offer defensive value and is an average hitter at best, but he can be a decent addition if deployed as a reserve piece and pinch-hitting candidate.
