Latest NY Mets roster moves tell us exactly how they feel about Ronny Mauricio

Before Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets will have two new bodies. The team announced the return of Brandon Waddell from the minors along with his former KBO teammate Jared Young. It’ll be our first look at Young in the regular season. The versatile lefty was hitting .259/.371/.506 with 5 home runs in 97 Triple-A plate appearances. Present on the 40-man roster and with the ability to play a couple of positions, it was an easy call to give him a chance.

As for Waddell, he’ll provide the Mets with length out of the bullpen and maybe even some big outs against a lefty batter should they need it later on, depending on how long he sticks around.

Gone from the roster are Genesis Cabrera and Jose Azocar. Cabrera pitched well in his limited opportunities with the Mets but the need for a fresh arm was too important. Azocar became increasingly less useful for the Mets who seemed to struggle to find ways to use him.

That’s a lot of moving parts. Not included is Ronny Mauricio and his .636 batting average.

The Mets clearly aren’t ready to call Ronny Mauricio back up to the big leagues, they also couldn't

Mauricio has gone 7 for 11 in his first 3 games for Syracuse. The longtime top Mets prospect who only became an afterthought because of last winter’s injury has the uphill battle to fight against the previous wave of young players and the next group. Luisangel Acuna has already taken over the role Mauricio could have just as easily secured. Brett Baty’s production since getting recalled adds another layer for Mauricio to shovel through.

The Mets have been hesitant with Mauricio dating back to 2023 when he made his debut. Much like Acuna last year, he didn’t get a big league promotion until September. The circumstances were much different. One could argue in favor of either being more inexcusable. The team was playing for nothing in 2023 while Mauricio was raking. In 2024, Acuna could have helped them win a few early September games with his legs or maybe even his bat based on the way he hit in the one month.

Choosing Young over Mauricio, a switch-hitter, is largely due to the inability to recall Mauricio after only a baker's dozen at-bats. Because he was only recently optioned, he'll need to wait until enough days are accrued in the minors. However, with the sudden decision to DFA Azocar only days after Mauricio was optioned, they definitely had some intentions on holding him back. How could they not? He struggled mightilyl in his rehab.

Brandon Nimmo’s early exit on Friday might help to better explain Young’s promotion. He has played more left field than anywhere else in the minors this year. With the Dodgers pitting two righties in a row against the Mets, it doesn’t hurt to have a left-handed bat. He’s getting the start at the DH spot with Starling Marte in left field.