5 Mets non-roster invitees who need every inning possible in spring training

4) Rylan Bannon

Consider Rylan Bannon as the infield version of Kohlwey. A 27-year-old who has already bounced around with several organizations and only received 21 total MLB plate appearances, his addition to the Mets roster is far less likely to have any payoff compared to his outfield colleague. All of Bannon’s minor league options have been exhausted. However, an increase in power and continued plate discipline made him interesting enough for the Mets to sign him to a minor league deal with an invite to St. Lucie.

Bannon hit .241/.360/.449 with 18 home runs and 56 RBI for the Houston Astros’ Triple-A squad in 2023. A versatile infielder capable of playing second base and third base most often, he got his first look at shortstop last season with 10 games. He wasn’t all that atrocious either. Don’t expect him to be the first the Mets promote if Francisco Lindor was to get hurt. The Mets have Joey Wendle and Jose Iglesias for that.

Bannon is on the younger side of where many non-roster invitees find themselves. Much like Rios, there are some positives but too many negatives to truly count on him to end up as a major contributor.

Nevertheless, it’s important we do see Bannon in the spring. He’s someone the Mets would promote over any of the prospects to prevent having to add them to the 40-man roster too quickly into their careers. Bannon could conceivably ride the bench if needed. You don't call up Luisangel Acuna to sit and watch. There isn’t much competition at all for Bannon other than Iglesias. We’ll be lucky if he becomes this year’s DJ Stewart.