Jose Siri injury puts a NY Mets roster flaw on full display

It’s going to be a while before we see Jose Siri play another game for the New York Mets. A broken leg will knock him out of action for several months, pushing Tyrone Taylor into an everyday role. Like, literally every day.

The team decided to forego adding anyone to their roster on Tuesday, playing a man down instead. Taylor took his proper place in center field as we awaited the next roster move. They’ll creatively handle things so as not to disrupt the flow of the pitching staff. Meanwhile, Jose Azocar awaits his official call to rejoin the team.

Azocar won’t be a bad sixth outfielder to join the roster. It’s just a shame the team already has so many other outfielders, many of whom don’t even play the outfield.

The Mets have outfielders everywhere but half don't even play the field

The Mets DH platoon of Starling Marte and Jesse Winker hasn’t hit the ground running. This planned duo only developed because the team was unable to trade the former. Seeing a need for a left-handed bat for the heavier half of the DH at-bats, they decided to bring back Winker on a one-year deal. It wasn’t an F grade plan nor was it an A. B- might be a fair choice.

On paper, this had and still has potential to be an improvement over last year’s sluggish performance from J.D. Martinez in the bulk of DH at-bats. Marte can obliterate lefties. Winker can do damage versus the righties. However, when neither are hitting, it’s like Daniel Vogelbach double vision except Marte is supposed to be fast despite having the team’s lowest sprint speed.

It’s news to no one that Juan Soto is not an excellent defensive player over a full season. Brandon Nimmo has declined as well. From a guy who bloomed late as a center fielder to the current average at best left field display he puts on, we accept their placement on the roster for what we believe they can offer at the plate. So far, they’ve done many of the little things right. Power on greater display during the ongoing road trip reminds us why we like them.

The flaw with the Mets is how unusable Marte and Winker are in certain circumstances. The team has avoided putting either in the outfield this season. How long can they possibly get by with this plan? Nimmo could use occasional days off. Soto should be a candidate to take a half-day to DH.

Siri wasn’t hitting at all before the injury, but when he did get on base was usually scoring runs. One hit and four walks yet five runs scored is an odd ratio. The Mets have both Band-Aids and long-term solutions they can try out in center field. Everything from giving Luisangel Acuna an opportunity to an upcoming promotion for Drew Gilbert should be under consideration.