Mets Monday Morning GM: Brett Baty injury makes September call-up choice easier

Brett Baty was one of the top candidates to rejoin the New York Mets in September when rosters expand. Only two available spots, one for a pitcher and one for a position player, would give every team a chance to add some additional depth. The pitcher spot will probably temporarily go to some rotation of bullpen arms with possibly a six-man rotation developing when Paul Blackburn returns from the IL, as long as Tylor Megill pitches decently.

The position player spot is a little more up in the air. Unless they go bold and add someone not on the 40-man roster, Baty was someone the team had to heavily consider. A fractured finger will unfortunately cost him 4-6 weeks which probably means he’s out for the rest of the regular season.

It’s a bad turn on what has been a mostly lost year for a guy who not long ago was a top 25 prospect in Major League Baseball. His job has been usurped by Mark Vientos at third base this season. Baty was going to get his chance to possibly show the Mets what they were missing. They’ll need to turn elsewhere and the choice is pretty obvious.

Luisangel Acuna is the only choice for the Mets to call-up in September

Luisangel Acuna has had his own problems in 2024. Hardly a promotion candidate for anything more than a bench role, it’s exactly what he should find himself riding often when the Mets do call him up in September. A 2 for 5 performance on Sunday for Syracuse lifted his batting average up to .257 on the season. It’s pretty pedestrian for a guy who many predicted would have already been in the big leagues by now.

Acuna’s presence on the 40-man roster was a necessity because at the time of last summer’s trade he had already been placed there by the Texas Rangers. To prevent Acuna from being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, the Rangers had to protect him a little early. It’s essentially the same spot the Mets were in this past offseason with Alex Ramirez.

Landing on the 40-man roster a year before you’re ready is one thing. Two seasons in the minors with no MLB action is when you have to start wondering if it’ll ever happen.

The only other choice on the 40-man roster for the Mets is DJ Stewart who is even more redundant with Jesse Winker on the roster. He is hitting .240 for Syracuse while showing some pop. A more exciting choice would be Luke Ritter whose ability to play multiple positions might lend some to believe he is worth a call-up. It’s the one skill Acuna has that’ll be far more valuable than Ritter’s defensive versatility—something Acuna has himself.

September call-ups should always fill a need. There isn’t one for Ritter. Mostly a first baseman this season, he wouldn’t sniff playing time in the starting lineup. Pinch hitting opportunities wouldn’t be often enough to justify having him around when Acuna could, on a nightly basis, pinch run for someone.

It’s the one asset the Mets don’t really have much of. Tyrone Taylor is their quickest player and yet his sprint speed falls outside of the top 50. One would have to think Acuna with his speed would measure up better.

The Mets rank in the bottom five of MLB in sprint speed as a team. With multiple lumberers on the roster as well as versatile defenders, no other player in a one-dimensional role makes more sense.