While A.J. Ewing finds his place atop the NY Mets lineup, another player is getting frozen out

The New York Mets finally moved A.J. Ewing to the top of the lineup on Friday. A week into Andy Green’s tenure as manager, the swap of him and Carson Benge was always inevitable. Green explained the choice before the opener against the Atlanta Braves. He didn’t really need to. It was going to happen eventually.

The change didn’t give the Mets the immediate results they had hoped for. Ewing was hitless but scored a run. Benge was 1 for 4 with a single. This is the lineup the Mets should continue with regularly against right-handed pitchers. Against lefties, we should expect something else.

While Ewing further cements himself as a key member of the Mets lineup, the team is freezing out Ronny Mauricio. Frankly, they don’t have much of a choice.

It’s clear the Mets don’t have plans of figuring out who Ronny Mauricio is

Brett Baty got the start at second base on Friday with the new look lineup. In what has been a terrible season for him, the club seems convinced there’s something to salvage there whether it’s trade value or their best chance to win.

The Mets have yet to completely turn the page on this season. Otherwise, why give Francisco Alvarez this many days off from catching? Yes, he needs to hit. He also needs to suit up behind the plate regularly enough to solve his catching woes.

Mauricio made his way back to the Mets when they placed Marcus Semien on the IL at the end of June. The only place for him to play would be second base outside of the occasional day off for Francisco Lindor or Bo Bichette or a day where one of them is the DH. Lindor seems to be back to whatever 100% could look like at least in terms of playing time. For Mauricio, this robs one more chance for him to get regular at-bats, especially if the Mets continue to buy into Baty whose case as a lost cause is more clear than even Mauricio’s.

The Mets kept Mauricio around last year and saved his final minor league option for 2026. He has yet to hit the 20 days in the minors to use up that option with a good portion of his time playing on the farm considered a rehab assignment. Post-trade deadline, there could be some more open spots on the roster. However, unless the Mets trade Bichette, Baty, Mark Vientos, or Jared Young, it’s hard to see how he even squeezes in playing time.

Baty’s .592 OPS on the season is one of the worst among qualified hitters in MLB. The Mets should have their minds made up with him. They may have already decided on Mauricio, too.

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