Mets are swept away in four games by the Phillies, and revisiting Ronny Mauricio's future with the club
Can the Mets mold Mauricio into a third baseman, second baseman, outfielder, or all three?
What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets fell 5-2 to the Phillies to be swept in a four-game series (Box)
José Butto was not great on the mound and lasted only four innings after giving up four runs
Grant Hartwig also gave up a run in his 1.1 innings pitched
Anthony Kay finally made his Mets debut after being traded in 2019. He struck out two in 1.2 innings pitched
Ronny Mauricio hit his second major league home run batting in the two hole. His home run registered at 112.9 mph and he hit it just 1.23 ft. from the ground
Francisco Lindor went 0-for-2 with a walk batting cleanup
The Mets finished the road portion of their schedule with a 32-49 record, are now 10-12 in September, 21-25 against the NL East, 3-75 when trailing after eight innings, 11-59 when allowing five or more runs, and 29-37 since the All-Star Game
Roster Moves 🗞️
LHP Anthony Kay recalled from Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Peyton Battenfield optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
Injury Updates 🏥
Brandon Nimmo (sore leg) is expected to return to the Mets tomorrow
Starling Marte (groin) has been slowed by illness but is expected to begin a brief rehab assignment this week with Triple-A Syracuse, and return to the Mets next weekend
Francisco Álvarez left Sunday’s game after being struck in the hand - x-rays were negative and he is day-to-day
Prospect Watch 🌾
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ first game of their Eastern League Championship Series was postponed by rain on Sunday. They will attempt to start that series tonight against Erie in Binghamton.
Matt O’Neill (Triple-A Syracuse): 0-for-2, 2 BB, RBI
Wyatt Young (Triple-A Syracuse): 2-for-4, RBI, BB
Danny Mendick (Triple-A Syracuse): 0-for-4, BB, RBI
Today’s Game 🗓
The Mets are off as they travel home to take on the Marlins on Tuesday night at Citi Field.
Where will Ronny Mauricio ultimately end up on the diamond? ✍️
With the season winding down there is nothing left to do but wait for it to all be over.
One week to go.
This has certainly been one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory and it will be awhile before the organization reaps any benefits from from this miserable season, namely the prospects they acquired at the deadline.
However, getting Ronny Mauricio this experience at the major league level sould also pay dividends down the line.
It probably should’ve happened months before it actually did, of course. But if there’s one thing the Mets have learned (or, I suppose haven’t) is where he will ultimately land on the diamond defensively.
Mauricio was the last of the Baby Mets to be called up and got off to a great start of his Mets career. It really is a shame the organization waited so long to call him up so he would have a larger sample size of work, but so far he seems to have the ability to excel at the major league level.
He has been struggling recently but overall is batting .260/.305/.377 and his exit velocity certainly is tantalizing. Brett Baty has done very little this season to convince the team he is the future at third base so the Mets have options when it comes to Mauricio. Defensively, he struggled at third but that was to be expected since he has seen very little time at the hot corner. He did show off quite an arm at third so with more reps he could potentially be the third baseman going forward.
They do have another option as well.
They can consider shifting him to second base and moving Jeff McNeil to the outfield. That would clearly be no problem for McNeil who has shown an above average ability to play both corner outfield spots (and as of yesterday in Philly, center field) while showing off his arm in the process. And, with both Tommy Pham and Mark Canha gone and Starling Marte’s future uncertain, the team has a need in the outfield that McNeil could possibly fill. It would also be beneficial for Mauricio to have Francisco Lindor standing next to him on the infield on a regular basis as well as Lindor is a defensive whiz and is like having another coach out there by Mauricio’s side.
Could they also give him reps in the outfield as well? He did play there a bit before being called up earlier this season although that was an iffy experiment at best.
Clearly, while the young infielder could potentially give the Mets options, Mauricio also another has his share of questions that will need to be answered next season as the team looks to put this failure of a season far, far behind them.
But one thing is for certain - his abilities at the plate unquestionably will play at this level. Now it’s about finding him a place to play.
Around the League 🚩
The Yankees lost 7-1 to the Diamondbacks and were officially eliminated from playoff contention. It is the first time since 2016 that the Yankees will miss the playoffs
The Braves placed Charlie Morton on the injured list with a sprain on his index finger, and were edged by the Nationals 3-2 in Washington
The Angels officially shut down Mike Trout for the rest of the season, and they were walloped by the Twins 9-3 in Minneapolis
Mookie Betts set a new record by driving in 105 runs out of the leadoff spot as the Dodgers clipped the Giants 3-2 in 10 innings on Sunday
The Rangers finished off a sweep of the Mariners to lead them in the AL West by 2.5 games, and the Royals finished off their sweep of the Astros on Sunday leaving them three games out of first heading into the final week - Seattle is now on the outside looking in for a playoff spot as well