With the Mets’ roster fortified and deep, one of the only real battles of spring training (aside from who will replace the injured Frankie Montas in the six-man starting rotation) revolved around the battle for the backup infielder job.
The odds might have been with Nick Madrigal, who signed a one-year split contract at the end of January.
But Madrigal suffered a dislocated left shoulder during Sunday’s game against the Nationals.
Madrigal will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, but it’s fair to believe the infielder being available for Opening Day is highly unlikely.
That means the competition for what is expected to be the final spot on the four-man bench, which should also include backup catcher Luis Torrens, outfielder/designated hitter Starling Marte, and either Jose Siri or Tyrone Taylor (whichever center fielder isn’t starting that day) just became wide open.
Let’s break down the candidates…
Luisangel Acuña
Acuña checks all the boxes.
He has the ability to play shortstop, third base, and second base, has some real offensive upside, and excelled on both sides of the ball late last season during his first taste of the majors.
But ironically, it could be Acuña’s ability and success that keeps him off the roster.
That’s because if the Mets think his future is as a starting-level player, they might believe it’s in his best interest to get regular playing time at Triple-A Syracuse to start the year if the alternative is sporadic playing time in the bigs.
And president of baseball operations David Stearns recently made it clear that the club thinks Acuña has more strides to make offensively — given the fact that he didn’t excel in Triple-A last season.
“It is unusual when a player reaches the major leagues and consistently performs at a higher level than he performed at in Triple-A,” Stearns said earlier this month. “I think another instance of a player who wasn’t scared by the moment, and showed up and performed at a high level from day one.
“With him, let’s put offensive contributions aside for a second. The defense is real, and he played at a very high level when Lindor was out. We didn’t miss a beat defensively, and I thought that was really impressive.”
Asked to define who the “real” Acuña is, Stearns explained:
“I think the real Acuña is a very, very talented player who still has developmental growth needed. And I don’t know that that has changed from now versus if we’re having this conversation on September 8 last year, before he ever got called up. I think what he experienced last year in September will benefit him, but he’s the same player.”
Brett Baty
A natural third baseman who has also gotten some decent burn in left field in the minors, Baty added second base to his repertoire last season while playing for Syracuse.
And while the focus for Baty for now remains mostly third base and second base, he’s also dabbling at shortstop — and that started happening before Madrigal’s injury.
“At the beginning of camp, for Brett, he’s going to be mainly third and second,” manager Carlos Mendoza said this past Friday. “Two weeks from now, three weeks from now, we’ll see.
“He’s taking balls right now at shortstop. He’s taking some live reads during BP. But as of right now we told him to just be locked in at third and second base, for now.”
If Baty is able to handle shortstop in addition to second base, third base, and corner outfield, he could potentially be in good shape to make the roster out of camp.
While it would be a bit unorthodox to have Baty as the only player on the roster capable of backing up Francisco Lindor at shortstop, the fact is that Baty would likely only be asked to play shortstop in an emergency. And if Lindor were to suffer an injury, the Mets would call up a more experienced shortstop.
Baty is now boxed out at third base by Mark Vientos, and the potential opening at first base slammed shut when Pete Alonso re-signed. Meanwhile, most DH at-bats are expected to go to Jesse Winker and Marte.
Since Baty really has nothing left to prove in Triple-A, he could have a strong shot to make the Opening Day roster.
Jared Young
Young is the only other immediate backup infielder option aside from Acuña and Baty who is on the 40-man roster, which gives him a puncher’s chance.
He has some big league experience, having played in 22 games for the Cubs in 2022 and 2023.
While playing in the Cardinals’ organization and in the KBO last season, Young got time at third base, first base, and both corner outfield spots. He also has some experience playing second base, but hasn’t gotten time at shortstop since his first professional season in 2017.
The Field
Ronny Mauricio would be an intriguing option, but he’s not expected to start playing in games until mid-March — and those games will be his first action since suffering a torn ACL over a year ago. It can also be argued that Mauricio is better off getting regular reps in the minors.
Beyond Mauricio are two options who aren’t on the 40-man roster.
Donovan Walton is the most experienced, as he’s played 70 major league games over parts of five seasons for the Mariners and Giants.
Walton is able to play second base, third base, shortstop, and corner outfield, but his offense has been close to non-existent in the majors, with him posting a career OPS+ of 49.
Then there’s 28-year-old Luke Ritter — a career minor leaguer who has a .777 OPS in five minor league seasons.
Ritter played second base, third base, first base, and left field last season for Syracuse, and also has some experience at shortstop.
As far as free agent Jose Iglesias, do not expect a reunion.
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