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Why the limping NY Mets experiment with Eric Wagaman might not end abruptly

It hasn't started well and we might not be near the conclusion either.
Jun 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Eric Wagaman (39) reacts after striking out against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images
Jun 28, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Eric Wagaman (39) reacts after striking out against the Philadelphia Phillies during a game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Eric Wagaman isn’t your typical .176 hitter. He’s not a prospect. He’s not a veteran. He’s a guy with limited major league experience brought in this season by the New York Mets to do one thing only: hit left-handed pitchers.

How has he done? The results after 31 tries are a .231/.355/.462 slash line. Well below what he needed to be in this role, the experiment might not end as abruptly as we might like.

Wagaman, who turns 29 in August, might just be the right-handed version of Jared Young. Already spotted at all four corner positions for the Mets this season, Wagaman is a cheap, MLB-middle-aged, controllable player with minor league options left. HIs .283/.321/.462 slash line against southpaws last season might be too much to toss aside without an extended look.

Eric Wagaman is getting more leash than he probably deserves

There’s little harm in stashing Wagaman in the minor leagues if the Mets ever feel his at-bats should go to someone else. The problem is: who is that someone else?

Ronny Mauricio isn’t getting any of those chances. Nor is Nick Morabito. Wagaman has essentially become the new Mark Vientos in his absence. All the Mets could really do is swap him for a player like Christian Arroyo which is unnecessary given the team’s mode of turning into a competitor to one of thinking about what the future holds.

Wagaman has hit well in Triple-A albeit in only 58 games. A .282 hitter there and in Double-A as well, he’s a unique case of a guy performing better in the upper minor leagues than the lower ones. He hit only .229 in High-A and .228 in A-ball.

The situation isn’t much different than Young who was signed prior to the 2025 season by the Mets off of a successful stint overseas. Minor league options kept him hanging around at the start of the 2026 season. He even made the Opening Day roster. In a specified role as a right-handed hitter off the bench, Wagaman can make sense. The problem is he hasn’t hit nearly enough in those situations for the Mets since joining the club.

A late April waiver claim from the Minnesota Twins, the .159 he hit for their Triple-A club had them thinking twice about ever trading for him in the offseason. Wagaman spent last year with the Miami Marlins doing his best job to spoil the Mets’ season whenever he had a chance.

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