NY Mets free agent who hit .069 in spring training reminded us where he’s most useful

Just 2 for 29 in spring training with 4 walks, 9 strikeouts, and an error in his first game over at first base for the New York Mets, Jose Rojas did little to move up the depth chart. Only two singles all spring showed last year’s exceptional minor league performance was exactly that.

Coming off of a strong .287/.379/.599 year in Triple-A with the New York Yankees complete with 32 home runs and 105 RBI, it looked like the Mets were maybe adding a guy who’d figured some things out. It turns out the .584 OPS in the majors versus .898 in almost 500 Triple-A games is the reality of what he is. Rojas is going to be a Syracuse fan-favorite and someone the Mets probably want to stay away from promoting to the majors.

Jose Rojas is going to hit a lot in Triple-A, don’t expect much in the majors

On Opening Day for the Syracuse Mets, Rojas hit a 2-run home run in his second trip to the plate. The fourth inning home run was the difference in the 3-1 victory. It plated Ronny Mauricio, another player on the roster with some battling to do before he gets back to the majors. Rojas, now 33-years-old, is at a much different point in his career. He’s in contention for the Jared Young role on the big league roster which has plenty of competition.

In parts of two major league seasons in 2021 and 2022, Rojas hit only .188/.245/.339. He can play a variety of positions, but as we saw in spring training, he doesn’t do them particularly well. He is, in a lot of ways, the right-handed version of Young.

It’s often in the regular season in the minors when reality sets in for a lot of players. Jonah Tong pitched well just as Rojas managed to go yard. Cristian Pache, who lit up pitchers throughout spring training, fanned in all 4 of his plate appearances. Jackson Cluff had 3 more strikeouts in 4 trips to the plate, reminding us it was silly to ever have him in contention for any major league job.

Triple-A rosters are different from any other. It’s a mix of prospects and guys trying to get back to the major leagues. The Mets have intriguing options we should see in the majors regularly at times in 2026. Rojas, however, will need to have the right circumstances arise. The Yankees never once saw a reason to promote him last year or even in 2024 when he hit well. The Mets will need to witness many more days like this before he gets the call.