5 Mets players who don’t deserve to be on the 40-man roster

5) The NY Mets should already have Khalil Lee upgrades in mind

Khalil Lee isn’t working out for the Mets. When the team first acquired him, there was some real hype. Maybe he could be a future center fielder for them.

In only 20 plate appearances at the MLB level, Lee has 2 hits. One was a home run in 2022. The other came during a desperate stretch in 2021 when Lee struck out 13 times in 18 plate appearances. Lee hasn’t played particularly well at the minor league level either. He slashed just .214/.330/.370 in 453 trips to the plate last year.

The weaknesses he came to the Mets with have continued while the strengths haven’t really taken off. Lee struck out 150 times in only 108 games last year. It has been a problem throughout his career. Without the power to back it up, it’s hard to see him having much of a future with the Mets.

Lee is only 24 so maybe there is hope he can turn things around and be more like his better self. He did hit .274/.451/.500 in 2021 down in Triple-A. I’d be willing to give him a shot. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s hard to say he actually deserves a spot on the 40-man roster. Because it would require the team to make him available on waivers, we probably will see Lee get one final shot.