When it comes to the New York Mets lineup, only one opinion truly matters.
Mets fans are beyond ready to try something new at second base. With Jeff McNeil sidelined due to an oblique injury since the middle of March, Brett Baty was given the opportunity to take control of the position, but he has struggled mightily at the plate, with just three hits and 11 strikeouts in 27 at-bats.
However, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza continues to voice his confidence in Baty.
“I’ve been around him now for quite a bit, and he knows how to handle [himself],” Mendoza said after the Mets lost to Miami 5-0 on Wednesday. “Obviously it’s not easy, because you want to see results, and as of right now, he’s struggling. He’s going through it. But he’s going to work hard, we’ll continue to support him, we’ll continue to give him opportunities, and he’s got to fight through it.”
Perhaps the opportunities won’t be there quite as much for Baty pretty soon.
McNeil began a rehab assignment Friday night with Low A St. Lucie, playing second base and going 1-for-2 at the leadoff spot with a walk and a run scored in a 4-3 win over the Lakeland Flying Tigers. At the time of McNeil’s injury, Mendoza said that he would likely miss three to four weeks. It may end up being just a touch longer than that, but McNeil could rejoin the Mets in a week or two.
Manager Carlos Mendoza Confident Brett Baty Can ‘Fight Through’ Struggles
Reinforcements at just about any position can’t come soon enough for the Mets, who entered play on Friday with a team batting average of .213.
Second base has been a glaringly unproductive spot in the lineup. In addition to Baty’s struggles, Luisangel Acuna has had only four hits in 21 at-bats. Jake Elman with Athlon Sports stressed the seriousness of the situation to call for the Mets to call up veteran slugger Niko Goodrum from Triple-A. The 33-year-old has played 415 MLB games over seven seasons with five separate teams, with 42 home runs and 152 RBIs.
“To be clear, we’re not suggesting Goodrum will save the season like Jose Iglesias did last year. Iglesias caught lightning in a bottle with clutch hits, solid defense, and a song that captured the fanbase amid an NLCS run,” Elman wrote.
“However, the Mets can’t continue running Baty out there every day. At some point, the Mets must admit defeat on Baty, who owns a .591 OPS and -1.1 bWAR over 179 games.”
Center Field Has Also Been Black Hole Offensively for New York
GettyNew York Mets center fielder Tyrone Taylor has gotten off to a slow start offensively.
Second base is not the only problem area for the Mets. In fact, if looking strictly at offensive production, center field might actually be the bigger disaster, with Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri sharing the load — and both coming up short.
Taylor is slashing an ugly .154/.154/.154, while Siri isn’t faring much better, hitting .059/.200/.118. However, Taylor, despite his rough start, has a track record as a nearly league-average hitter, so there’s reason to believe he’ll rebound. Siri is more unpredictable, but he has time to find his footing. If neither can turn things around, though, the backup options are far from inspiring.
Carson Benge offers hope for the future, but the 22-year-old has played just 18 professional games and is currently stationed at High-A Brooklyn. While prospects are rising faster than ever, Benge would need to absolutely tear the cover off the ball to force his way into the 2025 picture.
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