New York Mets: The search for a Robinson Cano replacement

A look at some of the options for the New York Mets when searching for someone to replace injured second baseman Robinson Cano.

New York Mets second baseman Robinson Cano has been a burden upon the team, however, he was gaining much traction in terms of hitting over the last few games. His significant injury of a hamstring tear limits the Mets in some ways, forcing them to search for a replacement.

The Mets roster is a versatile one, in which an above-average outfielder in Jeff McNeil can play a solid infield as well. McNeil would admirably fill in at second base or in the outfield, thus they have options at either position.

The Mets brass opted for a defense-first option in calling up Luis Guillorme, as the initial replacement for Cano. Another mark in the collum of Guillorme is his left-handedness, which well-supplements the right-handed heavy Mets lineup.

Dilson Herrera, the former coveted prospect, has offered solid statistics in AAA Syracuse- 22 home runs and an OPS of .849. He has much versatility around the infield and therefore would likely be a more useful piece to the Mets postseason hopes than the light-hitting Guilorme.

Other options include Rajai Davis, Ruben Tejada, and Danny Espinosa– all of whom are currently in AAA. It is possible for these options to provide some depth, yet it may make more sense for the Mets to search outside of the roster for Cano’s replacement.

Joe Panik was recently designated for assignment and is slated to be released by the Giants. He is a New York native and a return to Queens may be very intriguing for him, considering the potential playing time he may receive.

A change in scenery could easily revitalize and he offers something that Asdrubal Cabrera did not- an above-average glove. In fact, a platoon of sorts between Adeiny Hechavarria could offer a great degree of a defensive upgrade. Panik could also provide a bit of an offensive jolt to a relatively stagnant group, considering the injuries to Cano and Jed Lowrie.

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Overall, the Mets have a number of options and unless there is some breaking development on the injury front, they will likely have to add a player to the MLB roster for this postseason push.