Mets Outfield Faces Injuries
LOS ANGELES — Since the latter part of spring training, the Mets have been grappling with thinning outfield depth.
Jared Young has now joined the list of injured players.
On Wednesday, he was placed on the injured reserve due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. This unfortunate turn of events makes him the third outfielder sidelined by injury. Young is set to undergo surgery on Thursday and is expected to be out for about six to eight weeks.
Currently, Juan Soto is on the injured list with a right calf strain, while Mike Tauchman had surgery for a torn meniscus during the spring training period. Tauchman’s injury had actually opened the door for Young to stay on the roster.
In light of Young’s injury, the Mets have called up MJ Melendez from Triple-A Syracuse. Melendez had a reasonably solid outing, going 2-for-4 with an RBI double during the Mets’ 8-2 loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday night.
Young, who also filled in at first base, had a noteworthy batting line of .350/.391/.450 over his 23 at-bats.
“He not only got some decent playing time but also had some solid at-bats from the left side,” Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza noted prior to the game against the Dodgers. “It’s a tough blow for us, but I believe the players will step up.”
Melendez had signed with the team as spring training began but was sent to Syracuse late in camp.
To bolster their roster, the Mets also signed veteran outfielder Tommy Pham to a minor league deal, promoting him to the major league lineup on Monday.
Mendoza mentioned that Jorge Polanco, suffering from bursitis in his right Achilles tendon, is out of the starting lineup. There’s a possibility he could appear on the injured list as early as Friday.
With Polanco unavailable, Melendez took over as the designated hitter, while Pham filled the left field position.
Meanwhile, Soto has been working on his recovery, facing a minor league pitcher at Citi Field. Mendoza aims to have him back for the next homestand, as Soto hasn’t played since April 3.
Additionally, the Mets have released veteran relief pitcher Luis Garcia, who was designated for assignment over the weekend.
Interestingly, Huascar Brazoban has been impressive, not allowing an earned run in 11 multi-inning appearances since last season. He’s pitched 8 1/3 scoreless innings this season, tying him for fifth among all MLB relief pitchers.
The Mets’ offensive performance has been disappointing, even prior to an eight-game losing streak. In the previous seven losses leading up to Wednesday, they had a batting line of just .178/.211/.258.
During those games, opponents dominated, outscoring the Mets 36-10, with six of the Mets’ runs coming in one game against the Athletics last Saturday at Citi Field.
