NY Mets place Juan Soto on the IL and every fan has the same question

Juan Soto won’t be able to fight off an IL stint. A day earlier than many expected, the New York Mets have placed the star outfielder on the IL retroactive to April 4. It’s hopefully a temporary stay on the IL for one of the most important players on the team and in the league. To replace him, the Mets have called up Ronny Mauricio.

A .273/.294/.394 slash line in Triple-A to begin the year, the choice of Mauricio over any of the other options seems to come down to a few factors. One is his presence on the 40-man roster. Another might be how many other outfielders they have on the roster.

Calling up Mauricio isn’t a bad call, but it seems to break the rule the Mets have routinely set with their young players. Exactly what purpose will he serve on the big league roster right now? He can't be here to just sit and watch, can he?

What are the Mets going to even do with Ronny Mauricio?

The Mets weren’t ready to give Nick Morabito a chance or summon MJ Melendez to make his New York debut. The choice of Mauricio is puzzling based on the fact that he hasn’t been red hot in the minors to begin the year and how well others who play his positions have performed. The Mets aren’t benching Bo Bichette or Francisco Lindor for anything more than a day of Mauricio. Marcus Semien has begun to heat up. First base is clogged.

With the way Mark Vientos has been hitting over the last week, he needs to play everyday. Jorge Polanco has shown signs of life, but to sit him for Mauricio is about as likely as any of the other infielders. Brett Baty has hit a bit of a slump, but his current place on the roster has him profiling as more of an outfielder than infielder.

Where does this leave Mauricio, a guy who has had far more success hitting left-handed on a roster where Jared Young might be of more use?

Mauricio is probably a pinch runner and late-inning defensive substitute at third base the Mets could consider. We’ve seen enough of Bichette to realize 7 innings is enough. If they have the lead, it doesn’t hurt them to remove him in favor of someone else. Baty is usually the ideal choice, but with a corner outfield spot now vacant, they may not be able to afford that.

If Soto misses only the minimum, he’ll be back in just over a week. The expectation is for 2-3 weeks which brings us to the end of May. By then, the Mets may have a few new roster decisions to make. Is Young worth keeping around? Do they view Carson Benge as someone who should go back to Syracuse for at-bats?