NY Mets have found a human Band-Aid amid injury scares, slumping hitters

Have yourself a day, Jared Young. In the absence of Juan Soto who’s waiting to wake up and feel better, the New York Mets have had to find a solution in left field. Brett Baty was a late scratch from the lineup on Sunday which gave Jared Young, the last man added to the Opening Day roster, an opportunity to get into the lineup once again.

Slotted into the fifth spot in the lineup simply because he swings from the left side of the plate, Young put together a memorable day at the plate and in the field.

Jared Young is showing Mets fans exactly why he might be more than filler material

At the plate, Young was 3 for 3 with a pair of singles and a double. His presence wasn’t exactly why the Giants summoned a lefty from the bullpen in the 8th, but his fiery bat certainly contributed to the decision to force the Mets to turn to Luis Torrens off the bench. He, of course, promptly doubled in two runs to give New York the lead.

More impressive, maybe, was this play by Young to throw out a would-be attempt at a one-out double. It put an end to any chance of the San Francisco Giants putting together a fifth inning rally, allowing Kodai Senga to tease us with an entrance into inning number six.

A versatile defender but not a particularly strong one over a large sample, any positive moments we can get out of him feel like a victory. He has looked competent at first base and in the corner outfield. The latter is a spot where the Mets have a lot of questions right now.

Along with the loss of Soto for the last 18 and a half innings, Carson Benge has limped through the start of his career with as many hits on the year as Young had in one day. The Mets could have used Mike Tauchman as an emergency button to hit in case of a prolonged Benge slump. Suddenly, Young doesn’t seem so bad.

Before scratching Baty from the lineup, he was slated to start in right field. The Mets don’t look ready to swap him between corner outfield positions, instead leaving him in as a right fielder to learn the position as they focus on keeping Soto in left field when healthy.