Rivera having surgery, Mets rotation still makes no sense, Dom rules

Tonight Robert Gsellman starts rather than using Jacob deGrom who allegedly has a stiff neck and it makes total sense to go 9 days between JDG starts in a 60 game season and to start Gsellman here.  Also the way the schedule falls, JDG (assuming his stiff neck heals) will start against the Marlins in back to back starts instead of the Marlins and the Yankees if they had just bumped him and used him tonight. Think about it.  Something will eventually be revealed here – maybe not this week, maybe to until the off-season, but this does not add up.

Dominic Smith leads the Mets with six home runs and 16 RBI…He is tied for fifth in the NL and tied for 12th in the majors in home runs and tied for seventh in the NL in RBI…He has 12 extra-base hits in 54 at-bats this season and sports a 1.116 OPS…In his last 10 games, Smith is hitting .333 (13-39) with six doubles, five homers, 11 RBI and seven runs scored…11 of his last 13 hits have been for extra bases…Smith hit 11 home runs in 177 at-bats last year.

Dominic Smith | INF/OF | .296, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB

Pete Alonso | INF | .214, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB

Today, the Mets added INF Ronny Mauricio to the team’s 60- man Player Pool..Media Goon is on his way to Modell’s to get a Mauricio jersey.  .Catcher René Rivera has been transferred to the 45-Day IL… Rivera was placed on the IL on July 30 with a hyperextended left elbow…He will have surgery to remove a bone spur in his left elbow on Wednesday…The surgery will be performed by Dr. David Altchek at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan…Mauricio is the top prospect in the Mets organization and the 68th- best in baseball according to MLB Pipeline…Mauricio appeared in 116 games with Columbia (A) last season and slashed .268/.307/.357 with 62 runs, 20 doubles, five triples, four home runs, six steal, 37 RBI and 23 walks…He has been assigned to the team’s Alternate Training Site in Brooklyn.

Tomorrow, Island Harvest Food Bank and the Mets Foundation are holding a drive-through/walk-up food and back-to-school supplies distribution for families who continue to struggle as a result of the financial difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic…School supplies handed out include pens, pencils as well as notebooks…Families can also pick up canned goods, meat, dairy and produce…Personal care items such as soap, shampoo, deodorant and toothpaste will also be available at no cost…The event will take place at 10:45 a.m. at 195 North Broadway in Hicksville, NY.

Earlier today, the Mets distributed donated schools supplies to four schools in Corona – PS 14Q, 110Q, 211 and 89Q…Staff members from the organization donated backpacks, folders, notebooks and other supplies…Overall, the organization will donate school supplies to 20 schools around New York and will reach over 10,000 students.