Pursuant to Major League Baseball’s 26th Man Rule, the Mets have elected to call-up Josh Smoker from AAA to be available in the bullpen for the second game of tonight’s single admission twilight doubleheader between the Mets and the Cardinals at Citi Field.
Smoker was the former 2007 first round draft pick of the Washington Nationals. After having had shoulder surgery in 2008 to remove a bone spur and two surgeries in 2013 to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff, Smoker was released by the Nationals organization.
In 2014, he signed on with the Rockford Aviators of the Independent Leagues where he was noticed by the Mets and signed to a minor league contract. This past offseason, the Mets added Smoker to the 40 man roster protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft.
This is his first season in AAA, and he has a 3-1 record with a 4.73 ERA and a 1.599 WHIP while striking out 13.2 batters per nine innings.
The 27 year old Smoker is a cross-over lefty who is able to get both lefties and righties out. While he continues to work and refine his offspeed pitches, Smoker mostly relies upon his mid 90s fastball that he can throw as high as 98 MPH to get batters out.
Smoker joins Eric Campbell as the only two players that Mets have used as the 26th man on the roster. Campbell was called-up for the June 7th doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he did not play.
The first ever 26th man to be used in a game was Jeremy Hefner, who would pitch three scoreless innings of relief in the first end of an April 23, 2012 doubleheader between the Mets and the Giants.
