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NY Mets reportedly promote top prospect, could battle familiar face after Dodgers move

The Mets are calling up a top five prospect from their system, while one of their former pitchers may face off against them during this Dodgers series.
ByNoah Wright|
Sep 15, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Ronny Mauricio (10) throws a ball into the stands after the top of the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 15, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets third baseman Ronny Mauricio (10) throws a ball into the stands after the top of the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The New York Mets have made some alterations to their roster after the first game of the series against the defending World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. On top of that, they may end up going up against a familiar face during this series. The big roster move the Mets made was promoting top prospect Ronny Mauricio to the Major Leagues.

This comes in the wake of Mark Vientos suffering a hamstring injury in extra innings of the first game against the Dodgers. Although we do not know the full extent of Vientos’ injury yet, manager Carlos Mendoza stated to reporters, “It did not look good.” The reported promotion of Mauricio could indicate that the door has now been opened for more regular playing time over an extended period.

Mauricio was once a consensus top-100 prospect as late as 2022. The infielder showed a ton of promise in 2023, batting .292/.346/.506 with a 106 wRC+ in 532 plate appearances at Syracuse. He flashed both power and speed, going yard 23 times and swiping 24 bags in 31 attempts. His strong performance at Triple-A earned Mauricio a call to the big leagues, but he struggled in a 108-plate appearance sample size. He only had a .643 OPS, .284 wOBA, 79 wRC+, and struck out in 28.7% of his trips to the plate.

Mauricio was projected to play a role with the Mets in 2024. However, he suffered a torn ACL in the Dominican Winter League during the 2023-2024 offseason. Mauricio missed all of 2024 but is back in action this year, and has looked pretty good in his return. He has appeared in parts of 19 games with 73 plate appearances at A-Ball St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton, and Triple-A Syracuse, racking up 21 total hits. He has three home runs, along with three doubles, and has drawn seven walks. Mauricio has primarily played shortstop throughout his minor league career, but also has experience at third base, second base, and even left field. Vientos has gotten the most starts at third base this season, but now that he’s out, we’ll likely see some combination of Mauricio and Brett Baty play second base and third base.

Mets to face old friend Jose Urena after calling up Ronny Mauricio vs. Dodgers

In other news, the Mets may face Jose Urena in this series. The Dodgers recently picked up the veteran right-hander on a major league deal. Urena appeared in just a single game this year with the Mets. He pitched three innings and gave up five earned runs in a 19-5 victory against the Washington Nationals - but, because he pitched three innings, he was eligible for a save.

The Mets then designated him for assignment and he went on to elect free agency. The Toronto Blue Jays then picked him up, and he tossed 12.1 innings for the Canadian team, where he allowed five more earned runs with five Ks and three walks. Once again, he was DFA’d and elected free agency before latching on with LA.

The Mets are getting a fresh face in the lineup in Mauricio, who is a top-ten prospect in their system, according to MLB Pipeline, and a top-five prospect by Baseball America's standards. One of his first tasks upon his return to the major leagues may be facing off against a pitcher who the Mets rostered earlier this year in Jose Urena.

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