Mets roster expansion candidate for September: A case for Luisangel Acuna

The days of MLB rosters expanding to 40 in September are long over and with good reason. That’s a lot of players. It changes the way the game is played. You wonder why the airlines are failing? It’s the 12 fewer players constantly flying in the last days of the MLB season. The New York Mets will only have a chance to call up two additional players. Now limited to 28 players, they’ll need to choose wisely.

We’ll explore a couple of those different candidates this month. We begin with a guy who came to the Mets as their number one prospect, but has since shrunk down a few slots.

Should the Mets use a September roster spot on Luisangel Acuna?

Luisangel Acuna is one of those candidates. A very average season down in Triple-A this year, his current presence on the 40-man roster is one of the biggest reasons why he should be in the mix. Two of his three minor league options have already been used. To fritter away this season without giving him a chance when he does make some sense in September feels a little like ordering a hamburger at a fast food joint and tossing out a bun.

Acuna is batting .265/.313/.370 with 6 home runs in Triple-A. He has successfully swiped 31 bases in 44 attempts. A bit of a wake-up call this year after stealing 57 in 67 tries last year, pitchers and catchers at the Triple-A level are much more careful whenever he does get on base. It also doesn’t help that he is doing so at a smaller clip.

When looking at which position player the Mets should call up, the weaponry they have is important. Acuna’s bat might not look MLB-ready. His glove isn’t necessarily needed anywhere either. Acuna does have the ability to play all three middle positions with his experience in center field this season making him a much more intriguing utility player type.

Consider this situation. The Mets get back Starling Marte and will then need to look at who eventually takes the Ben Gamel roster spot. The Mets have used him plenty in pinch running spots. Acuna is certainly quicker and could be that guy for them. Heck, with never more than four starting pitchers needed in the postseason, Acuna could find his way there if the Mets are able to get there.

Able to play multiple positions, run quickly, and have an ongoing presence on the 40-man roster, the only mark against him is his ability to hit. Acuna has balanced splits against righties and lefties. A .262/.306/.378 slash line against righties and .277/.337/.674 against lefties is where he’s out right now.

Acuna wouldn’t be someone we’d expect to step up to the plate much any way. The best argument against Acuna is that a bat off the bench is more valuable. Do any of those sticks interest anyone enough?