Mike Tauchman's ill-timed injury could have implications for multiple Mets

Plus, Sean Manaea is heading to the bullpen as the Mets set their initial five-man starting rotation

What’s Up with the Mets? 🌴

• The Mets will start the season with a five-man rotation, with Sean Manaea starting in a piggyback role; Carlos Mendoza did not say which game would be Manaea’s first

Game 1

• The Mets lost to the Astros, 7-5 (box)

• Jonah Tong gave up three runs on six hits in his 4.1 innings, striking out five Astros against zero walks. His changeup was working particularly well, responsible for all of his strikeouts, and he elicited a lot of medium-to-weak contact throughout the afternoon

• OF Mike Tauchman left the game early with a knee injury; A.J. Salgado was an excellent replacement, going 3-for-3 with a triple, an RBI, and a run scored

• Bo Bichette and Jorge Polanco each had two-hit days at the plate

• Marcus Semien put the Mets ahead in the sixth inning with a clutch two-out three-run double; he also made a nice defensive play

• Luis Robert Jr. had a productive day with a hit, a walk, and a run scored; he also flashed some defensive leather with a sliding catch in center

• Ryan Lambert had a tough day, surrendering four runs and blowing the save while securing just a single out

Game 2

• The Mets’ second squad also lost their contest, falling to the Nationals 3-1 (box)

• 3B Mark Vientos gave the Mets their only run of the day with a solo homer in the 8th inning

• Joander Suarez and No. 11 prospect Will Watson combined for 7.1 scoreless innings to start the game, but the bullpen blew the save in the eighth

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Injury Updates 🏥

• OF Mike Tauchman left yesterday’s game against the Astros with left knee discomfort; he will undergo imaging and his status for Opening Day is unclear (MLB.com)

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Roster Moves 📰

• C Hayden Senger optioned to Triple-A Syracuse

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Today’s Games 🏝️

Match-up: Mets (12-10) at Marlins (10-13)

Where: Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium - Jupiter, FL

Starters: LHP David Peterson (1-0, 5.63 ERA) vs. RHP Sandy Alcántara (1-1, 5.63 ERA)

When: 1:10 PM EDT

Where to Watch: Marlins.TV

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Implications tied to Mike Tauchman’s injury, and Sean Manaea’s immediate future ✍️

Mike Tauchman, via WPIX on Saturday

With Opening Day less than a week away, it seems only natural that a potentially key roster piece for the New York Mets would incur an injury.

Mike Tauchman left yesterday’s matchup after experiencing knee discomfort early in the game. He will undergo an MRI, but the team didn’t have any significant updates at game’s end.

Initially signed to a minor league deal and brought in to provide competition for Carson Benge (who is all but guaranteed an Opening Day roster spot), Tauchman’s signing was lauded as a smart depth move for a team that’s been laser-focused on reshaping the culture in the clubhouse. Known for his dogged approach at the dish and his reputation as an archetypal ‘glue guy’, a veteran like Tauchman fits this roster in a multitude of ways.

Tauchman’s had a more-than-sufficient spring showing, proving his prowess at the plate with a homer, three doubles, and an .819 OPS. With MJ Melendez optioned to Syracuse and Benge presumably set for starting duties, the battle for the Mets’ last roster spot has essentially come down to Tauchman and shortstop Vidal Brújan, the latter of whom remained in camp while the Mets mulled whether or not to carry him as a backup shortstop, or use Bo Bichette in that role, which would allow them to carry an extra outfielder north when camp breaks today.

The roster crunch was already noteworthy, but Tauchman’s status now makes those waters that much murkier.

He reportedly has an escape clause in his contract, so he can opt out and pursue guaranteed MLB playing time elsewhere should he not make the Opening Day roster. He has until March 25th to do that — but the Mets likely don’t want that, and can easily prevent it from happening by adding him to the roster.

Assuming this injury isn’t season-ending, the cleanest solution here seems fairly obvious: cut Brújan, promote Tauchman and send him to the IL. Brújan’s spring performance hasn’t exactly been electrifying, as his .273 average is pulled down by a sub-.700 OPS and a single run driven in over 33 spring plate appearances. And though he represents the Mets’ only active full-time backup option at the position, the Mets got Bo Bichette some playing time at shortstop the other day, signaling that this may have been the plan all along anyway.

Proceeding without Brújan ultimately wouldn’t do much to hamper this roster in terms of infield options. Lindor looks fine for Opening Day, but even if he should need to miss some time for any reason, Bichette can slide over to cover short while Baty or Mark Vientos cover 3B duties in the interim; take your pick at first base/DH from there. Even without a dedicated shortstop backup on the bench, there’s enough depth on this roster to plug any momentary holes that may pop up at the outset of the season.

While extra defensive insurance in the infield is nice to have, platoon-neutral offense off the bench is just as, if not more, important. Carrying Brújan would mean bringing an excess glove back up north and essentially handing over a productive veteran bench bat to an opponent in Tachman.

That’s bad business.

Provided Tauchman’s going to be back in action within a few weeks’ time, the Mets would be hard pressed to justify not doing everything they can to keep him and get him back to fighting form. Though Benge looks every bit bound for a daily spot in the lineup, the possibility of him succumbing to standard rookie struggles — or, god forbid, losing time to injury — always looms. And though Tyrone Taylor will of course be around to provide backup outfield services, Tauchman’s bat offers more upside and predictability, plus another option from the left side.

It’s been suggested that the Mets could add the likes of an Austin Slater, who recently requested his release from the Tigers, but I don’t see the Mets making a move like this unless they believe Tauchman will be out for a prolonged period. Barring a truly catastrophic turn of events, this roster is more functional with Tauchman on it, even if it means sacrificing some positional depth to keep him around while waiting for him to heal up.

It’s worth mentioning that in order for Tauchman to be placed on the major league disabled list, he must first be added to the 40-man roster. They currently have one spot open, but they will also likely be adding Benge, which would mean the Mets would have to designate someone for assignment to accommodate Tauchman, such as Brujan who appears to be an excess at the moment. And if Tauchman has to be out for any length of time, that will only expand Vientos’ role, increase the number of reps Brett Baty gets in right field, and perhaps increase the number of innings the Mets need Luis Robert Jr. in center field.

So yeah, there are a lot of implications tied to Tauchman potentially being absent.

NY Post

Speaking of roster decisions, let’s quickly touch on Sean Manaea.

Even considering Manaea’s encouraging final start of the spring, the announcement that he hadn’t made the opening rotation isn’t all that surprising — and it’s certainly a strong statement from management.

Though Carlos Mendoza asserted that Manaea’s diminished velocity didn’t factor into the decision, I have my doubts about that (as do rival scouts, apparently). And while I don’t believe that a lower average velo is necessarily a death sentence for his career as a starter, as we’ve seen him succeed with slower stuff, his spring results did leave a bit to be desired in the stuff department.

Team brass clearly agreed: Mendoza said that Manaea will start games for the team, but declined to say when that might happen or how frequently.

Manaea starting the season in the bullpen makes sense from several angles. First and most importantly, it gives him an opportunity to continue ramping up and trying to build the velo back up without the added pressure of starting meaningful games under an already-amplified spotlight. That’s not to say Manaea can’t handle the bright lights — we’ve seen him do it — but clearly there’s more work that needs to be done here. Perhaps it’s best that work be done whilst not directly under the microscope, even if the overarching external examination persists.

A five-man rotation should also help the rotation settle into a rhythm early by keeping everyone on schedule. For a staff with so many new faces and guys looking to recapture some of their former selves, routine will be key both on the field and in the clubhouse. Freddy Peralta is now the face of the Mets’ rotation — the more comfortable he is, the better. Similarly, Nolan McLean (who only just shifted to pitching full-time in the summer of 2024) will be entering his first full MLB season, and Kodai Senga (noted routine freak) is seeking to build on a strong spring and good health.

If there’s one thing this staff needs, it’s stability, in whatever way it presents itself. And with the Mets really not needing a sixth starter until April 12, it makes sense to go with five starters now and use the off-days between now and April 12 to give them proper rest and recovery. It’s worth noting as well that the Mets could very well skip the sixth spot in the rotation again with two off-days on April 16 and April 20.

Manaea’s no stranger to the piggyback, nor the bullpen. We all remember last year’s September experiment (which had…mixed results), and he worked out of the bullpen in 27 games for the Giants in 2023. That long relief stint in San Francisco paid decent dividends: though he ended the season with an overall 4.44 ERA, from July 29th through the end of the year, he pitched to a 2.93 ERA with a 1.12 WHIP over 14 relief appearances.

This move also importantly opens up more spot-start opportunities for the likes of Tobias Myers, Christian Scott, Jonah Tong, and whomever else the Mets deem ready to take the mound. The Mets are rich with young pitching talent right now, and any extra cracks they can get against big league bats will only be good for their development. We already know Manaea has taken on a mentorship role with some of the kids — he’s gotten glowing reviews as a clubhouse leader, from Tong in particular — and there’s no reason to believe that’s going to change just because he’s in a different role to start the season. Manaea’s an integral piece of the current Mets puzzle, both on and off the field.

To Manaea’s continued credit, he’s taking this decision in stride, despite his vocal frustration. After the announcement, he told the media that he plans to let his pitching do the work, and that he’s still pitching in MLB, so he can’t complain. Based on everything we know about Manaea, that’s the expected response: classy, grounded, and motivated. He shared similar sentiments last fall when the Mets first tried this experiment against the Padres, saying “Being adaptable is a huge asset for situations like this. I lean on that. It felt normal, like normal routine, so I took that and ran with it.”

Manaea is saying and doing all the right things, putting in the work and trusting the process, not letting any ego infect the positively ebullient vibe that’s emerged from camp. Yet, as soft spoken as he appears, Manaea is also very visibly hungry to get back to the level of performance and reliability he displayed for this team not terribly long ago.

Let’s see what that hunger yields.

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Around the League 🚩

• MLB’s #1 prospect Konnor Griffin did not break Pirates camp and will start the season in Triple-A (MLB.com)

• The Braves signed 1B/DH Rowdy Tellez to a minor league deal (MLB.com)

• The Yankees announced that OF Randal Grichuk has made the Opening Day roster (MLB.com)

• The Nationals optioned Dylan Crews to Triple-A to start the season (The Athletic)

• The Nationals also released former Met Drew Smith (ESPN)