3 roster holes that could prevent Mets from winning the World Series

Mets roster hole No. 2: Right-handed hitting off the bench 

Part of the deal for the Mets in getting Darin Ruf from the Giants in a trade was that it was supposed to be an upgrade over J.D. Davis, who had a lot of trouble making contact this season. Ruf has been historically really good against lefties, but he hasn’t shown much of that with the Mets in the three weeks he’s been there. 

Every Mets position player trade deadline addition has felt like an upgrade in a big way, except for Ruf. If Ruf can’t show up in a big spot to counter a pitching change that brings in a left-hander to pitch to him, then other teams will attack that hole and make Darin Ruf beat them. 

The Mets as a team are batting .239 with a .695 OPS against lefty pitching, whereas they have a .266 batting average with a .756 OPS against righties. 

The Mets let Bailey Falter of the Phillies pitch a gem against them over the weekend. Who on earth is Bailey Falter? The Mets as a whole have collectively struggled all year against left-handed pitching, and that has to change if they face guys like Max Fried, Julio Urias, or Clayton Kershaw in the playoffs. 

Until Darin Ruf turns his season around, the Mets don’t have a strong counterpunch against the opposition’s lefty specialist.