3 Mets players who've sealed their fate in the final weeks of the 2023 season

3) NY Mets rookie Ronny Mauricio is showing he doesn't need to go back to the minors

It’s the most recent member of the Baby Mets who has exploded onto the scene the hardest, quickest, and with the most force. In 2022, Brett Baty started off with a home run then slowed down. Ronny Mauricio began with a bunch of hits. The team has used him at second base and third base which goes against how they’ve tackled the other youngsters. Baty has been shoehorned into playing third base. Mark Vientos has barely touched a glove. Francisco Alvarez can only play catcher, but the team has also held off on giving him additional at-bats as a DH—partly understandable because you can only do this if you carry three catchers due to potential injuries.

Have the Mets learned from their mistakes or is Mauricio this much different from the others? Both answers could be correct. Either way, what’s clear is that Mauricio has sealed his fate with the Mets. Unless they trade him away, Mauricio is in the majors to stay.

His ability to give the Mets options at more than one position adds to the intrigue further even if there are doubts about how good of a defender he can be. It’s easy to see where he belongs. At worst, he’s a temporary bench player or platoon mate. At best, he’s starting at second base, third base, or even left field.

With each of these young players, the Mets have generally used the excuse of needing to see more from the player on defense. They’ve gone against it with Mauricio having already handed him as many starts at third base in the majors as he got in Triple-A. His exact role has yet to be determined, however, there’s no doubt he’ll be there on Opening Day if he’s healthy and with the organization.

Although he has cooled, Mauricio’s first 82 plate appearances still include a .260/.305/.377 slash line and a pair of home runs. He has shown more than enough to stay put. Optioning him to the minors is a step in a pointless direction.