Hey Alexa, how much will the NY Mets use Jose Siri this season?

Two starting lineups and two absences from the projected center fielder Jose Siri. New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t offer much of an explanation before Friday’s game, seemingly preferring the matchup of Hunter Brown versus Tyrone Taylor.

Last year’s center field situation was only different for the Mets on the basis of Taylor being the clear cut back up at all three outfield positions. Center field belonged to Harrison Bader until the final weeks when Taylor outplayed him.

The playing field feels a lot more even between Siri and Taylor. Siri is the extreme in both ways of what Taylor can offer. So far, the Mets have gone with the more conservative choice. What’ll make this change?

Gut, instinct, and crunched numbers will determine who starts in center field for the Mets

You’ll need to have a full-time job in the Mets analytics department to know exactly who the best choice is to start all 162 games in center field for the team this year. As limited of a response as Mendoza had, there seems to be a lot of thought put into the decision in the first two games.

Neither outfielder differentiated themselves from the other this spring. Siri hit .214 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI but had 15 strikeouts. Taylor hit .213 with a home run and 4 doubles plus another 9 strikeouts. They perfectly showcased what we can expect from them over any month of the 2025 season. Siri will have big hits but also a lot of downtime. Taylor should be more consistent but tamer.

So far, Taylor is an irrelevant 1 for 8 in the regular season with a pair of strikeouts. Unneeded thus far, Siri is the only position player without a plate appearance. He won’t be a Moonlight Graham for the Mets and based on Mendoza’s comments, there should be little doubt he gets his first opportunity on Saturday. Two K’s and a solo home run wouldn’t be so out of character in his debut. 

Other members of the bench have had their roles more defined. Hayden Senger will finish games when Luis Torrens has been pinch hit for late. Jesse Winker and Starling Marte will do the pinch hitting as will Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna. The latter, and maybe even Marte at times, will pinch run. It’ll be interesting to see how often games end with Siri and Taylor in the field as defensive replacements. You’d probably never remove Juan Soto for anything short of an 8-run lead in the ninth. What about Brandon Nimmo who would use a little more time off of his feet? The more logical direction might be to simply give him the next day off if rest is a priority. Management appears to know what they’re doing.

As for the answer to the question of how much Siri is used, imagine 81 starts for each player on a moving scale. Siri and Taylor each have an opportunity to move that number up or down. Right now it's about predicting. Within two months, it'll be about what we are seeing.