The reinforcements are on the way, and the Mets brass will face a major roster decision by Friday.
Jeff McNeill and Francisco Alvarez are both scheduled to receive Triple A. Syracuse at-bats on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will be in position to join the Mets in the four-game series, starting in Washington on Friday, except for the set-off.
Potentially, Limbo includes Louis Sangel Acknya and Brett Batty. Either one could return to Syracuse and create a roster space for McNeill, where he was expected to regain his role as the first baseman.
“I think it’s a good idea to make difficult decisions when there are players who want to stay here,” the president of baseball business David Stearns said Monday before the Mets face the Phillies at Citifield. “As you get healthier, these decisions become more and more part of the thought process.”
McNeill began the season with oblique tension on his injured list.
Alvarez is returning from surgery during spring training due to a broken hamate bone in his left hand.
Lewis Torrens handled the starting catch operations with Hayden Senger as a backup.
Acuña has emerged as a reliable piece in the lineup, and recently launched most of the game on 2 bases in the absence of McNeill.
He came on Monday with a .289/.360/.400 slash line with six stolen bases, bringing energy to the bottom of the lineup.
After a slow start, Baty has surged over the past week. He went 22-7 (.318) in the previous six starts.
He moved between 2 bases and 3 bases.
“Both of these guys worked well, especially during the last 10 days,” Stearns said. “Brett bouncing between the second and third is not the easiest thing in the world. [Acuña] We’ve done really exactly what we’re expecting. He made a really solid defense with 2 bases. He runs very well on the bass. He’s in touch and is on the base. ”
The Mets can choose to keep both when McNeill returns – outfielder Jose Azoker doesn’t guarantee a place on the roster, but they may not have enough at-bats to justify such a decision.
If Acuña has additional selling points, he could become part of the centre field mix while Jose Siri is on the list of injured left tibia, which was broken.
“I think we’ll have to work through what that mix will look like over the next few days. [Acuña] I’m working really hard right now… Now we’re making some progress and we’re going to get to where we think we’re confident in putting him there. ”
The Mets will need to decide if 23-year-old Acuña would be better off playing every day for Syracuse.
“That’s a really great argument, isn’t it?” Stearns said. “Do you play every day with a slightly lower level of competition or better normal play time at the ultimate level of competitive level? I think it’s very individualistic. We don’t think it’s always right.
Stearns said he hopes Tyrone Taylor will receive most of Ciri’s action on the sidelines for six to eight weeks, but noted that the Mets have a variety of other options, including McNeill, Acknya and Brandon Nemo.
“We feel like there’s enough people to play there to cover that position and cover it well,” Stearns said.
