PHILADELPHIA — It was a disappointing loss, but Luisángel Acuña made his long-awaited MLB debut for the Mets on Saturday and impressed at the plate.
The 22-year-old filled in for the injured Francisco Lindor at shortstop and had two hits in a 6-4 loss to the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.
Acuña was promoted from Triple-A Syracuse in part because Lindor was unavailable after suffering a back injury in Friday's win.
Despite being largely inexperienced defensively, Acuna produced three strong hits, including a single to center field in the top of the fourth inning and a single to right field off closer Carlos Estevez in the ninth.
“He looks so relaxed,” said Lindor, who missed the first game of the year. “That's just the way he's been since I've seen him.”
Acuña said before the game that he was playing video games on Friday when he got a call from Syracuse coach Dick Scott informing him of his promotion.
Acuña broke down in tears when he told his mother the news over the phone, and soon after received a congratulatory call from his older brother, Ronald Jr., the Braves star outfielder.
“I'm going to help the team with base running, hitting, defense, whatever they need me to do,” Acuna said through an interpreter.
The Mets cleared roster space for Acuna by optioning DJ Stewart to Syracuse.
In addition to center field, Acuna will also play shortstop and second base for the Mets.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said the team passed on promoting Lindor when rosters were expanded earlier this month, but that team executives had been discussing promoting him even before he began to suffer from back pain.
And Lindor's situation pushed Acuna's decision to the final stage.
Acuna joined the Mets last summer as part of the trade that sent Max Scherzer to Texas and, although he appeared in 131 games with Syracuse this season and stole 40 bases, he was inconsistent.
His versatility will be welcomed with Jeff McNeil out for the remainder of the regular season with a broken wrist.
Lindor is being evaluated day-to-day and could play Sunday, but upon his return, Acuna could start at second base at times to allow Jose Iglesias to rest.
“He played great, he played well at the plate,” Lindor said. “I was encouraged to see him play today. The sky's the limit for him.”
The Mets acquired Eddie Alvarez in a trade last week, but the infielder is ineligible for the postseason roster because he was not with the team before Sept. 1. Acuña is eligible for the postseason roster, but Stearns downplayed the idea that the final two weeks of the regular season would be an acclimation period for Acuña heading into October.
“We're still a long way from planning a postseason roster,” Stearns said. “We'll work on it when the time comes.”
The Mets, who start the day ahead of the Braves for the No. 3 wild-card spot in the National League, will play three big games in Atlanta in the final week of the regular season, and Acuna said he's looking forward to playing against his brother's team, even though Ronaldo suffered a season-ending tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in May.
“It's going to be really special,” Acuna said. “He won't play in the game, but he'll be in the opposing dugout. He's already told me he'll be there.”
