26th man on the NY Mets roster is becoming increasingly more useful

One of two things needed to happen for Jose Azocar to make the New York Mets Opening Day roster. Jose Siri or Tyrone Taylor needed to land on the IL. That was it. Siri waited until the regular season to go down with an injury, leading to a promotion for Azocar. A bench piece with speed, he’s becoming increasingly more useful for the Mets in the everyday 9-inning saga known as a baseball game.

Still used sparingly, Azocar raised some eyebrows by picking up hits in his first 4 games of the season back in April. It didn’t have Carlos Mendoza thinking twice about his role. There simply isn’t room for Azocar to be more than what he already is.

In the wake of an injury to Jesse Winker, Azocar has suddenly seemed to have a little more space to climb his way into games. Starts will remain hard to come by. However, opportunities to pinch run and replace defenders late in games defensively are going to be frequent. As someone like Luisangel Acuna potentially works his way into a more permanent role as the second baseman, Azocar will be the favorite to pinch run.

The Mets are finally making good use of their 26th man on the roster

The situation wasn’t always the best for Azocar. The structure of the Mets roster doesn’t have ample innings available. They started the year with 6 outfielders on the roster—one being Winker and another being Starling Marte. The pair of veterans have been used more like DHs this year, adding more to the allure of what Azocar can do well.

Azocar made his way into the finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday when Jeff McNeil exited following a triple. He’d walk, steal a base, and score in his one plate appearance. Hardly the story of a game where Kodai Senga was walking everyone and getting bailed out by his defense and Juan Soto was hammering a pair of home runs, it was a reminder of Azocar’s existence on the roster and that he can do more than the minimum.

Even if he can be considered the last guy on the roster, he doesn’t seem to be the least useful of everyone around. Some early singles and just one strikeout in 18 trips to the plate shows Azocar could be useful in the right situation. He had 5 sacrifice bunts back in 2023 in only 102 plate appearances. Putting the ball in play and letting chaos ensue can help Azocar stand out from the usual 26th men on a MLB roster.

With Siri and Winker both out for several more weeks, there doesn’t seem to be any need for the Mets to consider anyone else for the role Azocar has so comfortably set up for himself. While it would be nice to have someone to officially bump Starling Marte out of a regular role, it’s just not the time nor is anyone in Triple-A right now a clear cut better player. There will come a time when the Mets may need to cut ties with Azocar. Until then, we can appreciate those little moments.