2) Donovan Walton
A door swung open for Donovan Walton when Nick Madrigal underwent season-ending surgery. The Mets seemed to always prefer a more experienced middle infielder for the Opening Day roster. If last year was any indication, they would have done everything in their power to get Madrigal on the team to begin the season. This is the same organization that needlessly carried Joey Wendle and Zack Short rather than give Mark Vientos at-bats to start the season.
Walton never performed well enough this spring to justify a roster spot. Even if Luisangel Acuna doesn’t have the kind of dazzling numbers to ensure he’s MLB-ready, the right choice was always to go with the kid during the absence of Jeff McNeil. We’re at an “if not now, when?” moment with Acuna. There is never going to be a better opportunity than the start of the 2025 season to use him as much as possible in a platoon role with Brett Baty as well as pinch runner.
Walton has gone 6 for 34 this spring with a double and home run. The .176 batting average is about as poor as it can get, but with 7 walks he does have a .333 OBP to provide some satisfaction. Don’t go too nuts about it. In 205 MLB plate appearances, he has batted .174/.227/.305. A credible hitter at the Triple-A level with a .287/.370/.454 slash line in 975 plate appearances, Walton is one of the Mets spring training invites who blew his chances the biggest.