Mets' Drew Smith Suspended 10 Games After Sticky Substance Ejection vs. Yankees

New York Mets reliever Drew Smith has been suspended 10 games after being ejected from Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees at Citi Field after failing a sticky substance check, per MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.

Smith's suspension begins Wednesday and he will not be eligible to return until a June 26 matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Smith was given the nod in the seventh inning of Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Yankees, but he never made a pitch. When he came out of the bullpen, he was checked extensively for a foreign substance and the umpiring crew opted to toss him from the game.

"Drew Smith was ejected because he had sticky hands," Bill Miller, the crew chief, told a pool reporter after the game, per ESPN. "I don't know what's on his hand, all I know it was sticky -- sticky to the touch. It stuck to my hands when I touched it. Not only his pitching hand, but his glove hand as well."

Miller added that Smith's hands were the stickiest he has felt all season. The other three umpires concurred.

Smith told reporters after the game that he was surprised about how the situation unfolded.

"They said both of my hands were too sticky," Smith said. "Really surprised, because I haven't done anything different all year. Sweat and rosin. I don't know what else to say. Nothing changed. It's just, I think the process is so arbitrary. It can change from one crew to the other, and I think that's the main issue."

The 29-year-old is the second Mets pitcher to receive a 10-game suspension for using a foreign substance this season, joining Max Scherzer. Yankees starter Domingo German has also served a 10-game suspension for using a sticky substance.

Smith has spent his entire six-year career with the Mets. In 26 appearance this season, he is 3-2 with a 4.18 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. He has also posted two saves.

The Mets enter Wednesday's game against the Yankees fourth in the National League East with a 31-36 record, 10 games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves.

It's been a disappointing season for the franchise, which spent a boatload of money during the offseason and now owns the highest payroll in baseball with not much to show for it.