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It looks like NY Mets prospect from 2023 trade got a warning to wake up

Maybe this was the nudge he needed.
Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez (83) participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2024; Port St. Lucie, Florida, USA; New York Mets shortstop Jeremy Rodriguez (83) participates in the Spring Breakout game against the Washington Nationals at Clover Park. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Who’s that? It was a common question at the 2023 MLB trade deadline when the New York Mets made some mammoth trades with many of their obvious pieces to sell returning them some lower level prospects on nobody’s radar. One example was selling Tommy Pham to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a little known prospect, Jeremy Rodriguez.

At the start of the 2024 season, Rodriguez was the 12th ranked Mets prospect. An impressive finish albeit in only 13 games, he furthered his case in 2024 when he slashed .282/.355/.400. Rodriguez got a dose of reality in 2025, batting only .202 for St. Lucie with 1 home run in nearly 500 plate appearances. While he did steal 34 bases, he was also caught 13 times.

The same theme has been alive for Rodriguez this year. Slashing .213/.312/.240 for St. Lucie without any home runs and 6 stolen bases in 11 attempts, the Mets made a decision to move him to the Developmental List. The timing is strange considering what Rodriguez has been up to. Sometimes a last straw type of situation, that might not be the case here.

Mets prospect Jeremy Rodriguez is moving to the Developmental List just as he’s hitting

Because he was at least somewhat of a high-profile prospect, it would be premature to send the recently turned 20-year-old packing this soon. He’s less than a month from growing out of being a teenager. Patience is necessary.

The stunted development in game action called for some kind of change. Moving to the Developmental List will take him temporarily off of the St. Lucie roster and allow him a chance to work on whatever it is he needs to improve. Rather than an unnecessary phantom IL, Rodriguez gets a breather and maybe a week or two in the batting cages without the pressure of helping his team win.

Simon Juan was another Mets prospect who moved to the Developmental List. It seemed to help. He hit .175 in each of the first two months of the season. Upon his June return, he hit .234 and came into the start of this week hitting .260/.387/.400 for the month of July.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, is having his best month of the year with a .278/.350/.315 slash line. An influx of new draft picks plus incoming prospects traded for at the deadline adds more competition for Rodriguez who is quickly becoming irrelevant in the farm system. A 4 for 4 day on Sunday plus a 4-game hitting streak, perhaps Rodriguez knew about this decision in advance and the wake-up call was already received.

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