Mets Officials Address A.J. Ewing’s Struggles
A.J. Ewing has seen his performance dip recently, particularly this month, but the Mets management doesn’t appear overly concerned about the situation.
As of Friday, Ewing’s slash line for August stood at .165/.240/.209, which has brought his overall season OPS down to .667. He struggled further, going 0-for-4 in the Mets’ 3-1 defeat to the Astros at Citi Field.
Despite these numbers, interim manager Andy Green has pointed out some positive aspects of Ewing’s at-bats.
Green mentioned that he spoke to Ewing during Thursday’s game, praising the quality of his at-bats, even if the hits weren’t materializing as usual.
He attributed some of Ewing’s difficulties to bad luck. “If you consider the quality of his at-bats, he’s kinda reverting back to what he did for us in the earlier part of the season,” Green noted before the loss to the Astros. “We need to recognize these moments even if the box score doesn’t reflect it, because sometimes this game can be really unfair. It’s important to acknowledge that he’s had a number of solid at-bats recently.”
In fact, Ewing’s last game with multiple hits was on August 7.
In other news, Jorge Polanco underwent ankle surgery on Wednesday and is anticipated to start spring training on a regular schedule. Polanco had only participated in 37 games this season due to issues with bursitis in his left ankle.
Green drew a parallel between Yordan Alvarez, who is a leading candidate for the American League MVP, and Barry Bonds due to Alvarez’s ability to intimidate opposing pitchers.
“[Alvarez] is right up there with Juan [Soto] as the best hitter in baseball and he has been the best hitter in baseball this year,” Green remarked. “He’s very much in the same realm as Barry Bonds when I was on the bench watching him. There are very few players who rise to that level, and he’s been there this season.”
Entering the game, Alvarez led the MLB with a 1.043 OPS, topped the AL in home runs with 36, and boasted the highest batting average at .319 while sharing the lead in RBIs with Pete Alonso at 91.
In Friday’s game, he went 0-for-2 but managed to draw two walks.
The Mets have also promoted Chris Devenski to the major league roster, while Xzavion Curry has been sent down to Triple-A Syracuse.
