Mets reliever Drew Smith on 15-day IL with strained right lat muscle

The New York Mets entered Thursday coming off a two-game home series sweep of the New York Yankees but were nevertheless likely to add some bullpen help ahead of this coming Tuesday's MLB trade deadline. 

That need got a little more serious for the Mets before the weekend. 

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) and the club's official website, the Mets have placed right-handed reliever Drew Smith on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Monday due to a strained lat muscle in his right side.

Smith hadn't taken the bump since he allowed an earned run against the San Diego Padres last Sunday and underwent an MRI on Wednesday to determine the extent of the setback. The Mets' website says his type of injury "typically requires several weeks to heal," but there's no exact timetable for the 28-year-old's return. 

New York will confirm a corresponding roster move at some point before Friday's series opener at the Miami Marlins. 

Per Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post, Smith allowed nine runs in his past 9.1 innings of work and has seen his ERA increase to 3.51 over 37 total relief appearances this season. He holds a record of 2-3 on the campaign. 

Meanwhile, the first-place Mets began Thursday evening holding a three-game lead over the second-place Atlanta Braves in the National League East standings.