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1 Mets player who should play more, 1 who should play less, 1 to consider demoting
Who is earning more playing time and who should be between the lines less?
The 2024 New York Mets have a habit of using the entire roster. It’s not such a bad plan. Not everyone can be the Atlanta Braves where the players are literally everyday options. We may be seeing the downside to that as players on their roster battle through injuries and season-long slumps.
The Mets perform as a more complete team with regular platoons or at least schedule off-days for the starters. It has helped keep several injury-prone players healthy and might even be a contributing factor in making some guys more productive.
In either case, the Mets have shown their cards as a team that’ll use every player if they must. Based on the recent performances, we can find one player who deserves more time on the field, who should play less, and a third the team might want to think about demoting.
The Mets don’t need to sit Harrison Bader as much as they do
Harrison Bader is the starting center fielder for the Mets and yet he seems to find his way to the bench regularly. It’s understandable why. His history of getting hurt should have the Mets proceeding cautiously with him.
However, in recent weeks, the other outfielders have struggled to justify a spot in the starting lineup. A case could even be made that Bader would benefit from more regular at-bats. It can’t be easy to get hot then sit the next day.
Tyrone Taylor is proving to be nothing more than a backup outfielder. While terrific for what he has to offer, there are only a handful of instances when he should play over Bader. Both are right-handed hitters so there isn’t much of a platoon to think about.
Bader has been one of the team’s steadiest hitters, now batting .271 on the season. Despite being thought of as a guy who hits lefties well and not righties, he has a .300 batting average in 140 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers versus just .224 against southpaws.
As a converted Baderhater to a Baderliever, this guy has earned every opportunity to patrol center field as much as possible for the Mets. A day off once a week is enough to keep him fresh.
The Mets should sit Jeff McNeil more regularly in favor of Jose Iglesias
Jeff McNeil got the message. When the Mets brought up Jose Iglesias and began to play him for a stretch against a bunch of lefty starters, it was clear they had lost their patience with the longtime second baseman and 2022 NL batting champion. Unfortunately, even with righties on the mound, McNeil remains a bit of a mess offensively.
A strict platoon might not be necessary, but it’s hard to disregard how well Iglesias has played for the Mets in his limited opportunities. If the Mets are serious about winning, sitting McNeil against left-handed starting pitchers feels like a must. Crunch time has arrived. Feelings will need to be hurt.
A hitless day in Tuesday’s come-from-behind victory with Iglesias pinch hitting for him (and drawing a walk in his plate appearance) signaled the days of McNeil getting replaced in the lineup are far from over. Iglesias’ playing time has diminished since those first few days he was with the team in part because of the pitchers they’ve faced—righties. McNeil’s batting average has now dropped to .220 and it’s not because of the handedness of the pitcher either.
Days off for McNeil with a righty on the mound could be more commonplace. His backup has a batting average literally almost twice as good.
The Mets should consider DJ Stewart alternatives
DJ Stewart doesn’t glisten so brightly anymore. Now that J.D. Martinez is fully engrossed as the everyday DH, there isn’t much use for Stewart other than the occasional appearance in a corner outfield spot. Notably, he’s a fine fit in right field once a week to give Starling Marte a day off his legs.
Stewart was incredibly useful during the stretch when the Mets were without Francisco Alvarez. Available to pinch hit for any of the three catchers they employed during that dark period, the return of Alvarez eliminated one more reasonable opportunity for the team to ask Stewart for big hits. He’ll ride the bench instead awaiting the small number of starts he gets. How much will this hurt his game?
After traveling from New York to Texas, Carlos Mendoza put Stewart in the lineup on Monday versus the defending champions. He hit his fifth home run of the season in what turned out to be a slump-busting night for anyone who stepped up to the plate cold. Still, it shouldn’t change the perspective on Stewart whose limitations should have the Mets considering some alternatives from the minor leagues.
Stewart, like Iglesias, got a pinch hitting chance in Tuesday’s game but would later be pinch hit for. He’s a much more useful version than Daniel Vogelbach because he can play the field. However, a batting average below the Mendoza Line remains hard to justify. There is no rush to replace Stewart because of his usefulness as a superior left-handed hitter. The Mets should remain vigilant in considering alternatives even if the player offers something completely different.
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