Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Dominic Smith was placed on bereavement leave Friday afternoon ahead of the Mets’ tilt with the Washington Nationals, the team announced. Smith will be on the list for at least three games but no more than seven, according to MLB policy.

Smith roped the go-ahead single in the seventh inning Thursday night to secure the Mets’ fifth straight win.

Brad Hand, who the Mets claimed off waivers earlier this week, will be activated in his place to start the five-game Nationals series. The Mets are Hand’s third team this season, when he started with the Nats. He posted 3.59 ERA in 42.2 innings with Washington before they traded him to Toronto, where he allowed seven runs in 8.2 innings. The Blue Jays placed him on waivers, and the Mets claimed him for the last month of the 2021 season.

Luis Rojas said he believes Hand was making mistakes inside the zone while in Toronto, and he’s confident that the pitching coaches and analysts can help him make adjustments to return to form while in New York.

The Mets were rumored to sign Hand in the offseason, and eight months later, he’ll now don No. 52 whenever his name is called this weekend. Nick Tropeano wore No. 52 this year, and Yoenis Cespedes wore the same number throughout his tenure with the Mets.