NY Mets roster battle is becoming increasingly one-sided

The New York Mets infield picture is starting to come into focus and one name seems to be moving into the foreground. With Jeff McNeil beginning a rehab assignment and roster decisions looming, the competition for playing time is quietly intensifying. Luisangel Acuña hasn’t been lighting up the box score, but his versatility, speed, and flashes of impact have started to stand out. Brett Baty, once seen as turning a corner after a superb spring training, now finds himself in a more uncertain spot. The gap between the two isn’t wide yet, but it’s beginning to open.

Luisange Acuña’s rise might be forcing the Mets to make a tough call.

In a scene straight out of a picture-perfect family album, Mets fans saw both Jeff McNeil and Francisco Álvarez making their rehab starts down in Port St. Lucie on Friday. But if you listen closely, you might hear the clock ticking a little louder for Brett Baty. His season has been anything but smooth sailing, with struggles at the plate that include a .111 batting average, a .259 OPS, and a 40.7% strikeout rate. Add in a chase rate that lands him in the bottom 14% of MLB, and it’s clear his road to redemption just got a little more complicated.

Friday night against the A’s, Luisangel Acuña gave Mets fans a little glimpse of the full package. He went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, and a run scored, adding steady defense at second to round out the night. The season-long numbers still look modest (.217 average, .612 OPS, five runs scored, no RBIs), but the flashes are starting to add up. Bit by bit, Acuña is showing the tools that make him hard to ignore and in the growing contrast with Baty, it’s becoming easier to see which direction the Mets might be leaning.

The Mets don’t need to make their decision today, but the pressure is starting to build. McNeil’s return will force a roster move, and right now, Acuña is doing just enough to stay in the picture. He’s not running away with the job—but compared to Baty, he’s at least moving forward. And in a season where opportunity matters just as much as production, that might be all it takes to tilt the balance.