Brodie Van Wagenen and the rest of the New York Mets’ bosses prefer to remain cautious about Yoenis Cespedes. They always refer to him and his rehab as an “if.†He could be a valuable lineup piece “if†and “when†he plays.
The possibility of him being ready for Spring Training seemed far-fetched. Now, the outfielder himself is providing a glimpse of hope. Yes, he is recovering from surgeries in his heels and an ankle fracture. However, he is working very hard to get back into baseball shape.
When the Mets’ middle-of-the-order slugger published a video of himself via Twitter performing baseball-related activities such as sprinting, swinging in the batting cage and catching a fly ball with behind-the-back out there in the outfield, fans and followers started to dream about having his bat in the lineup. After all, don’t forget that when healthy, it is a very potent bat.
Could Cespedes be ready to help the New York Mets in the first half of the 2020 season? How about Opening Day? While the latter may still be a pipe dream, it remains a possibility, especially after seeing him train.
He is motivated to make the Mets’ OD lineup
Cespedes has been out from the Mets’ lineup since July 20, 2018. It’s been a long time since he contributed something, and that’s why 2020 is such a big season for him. He is a contract year, too. He will have motivation.
Between calcification and bone spurs in both of his heels and the wild boar accident that resulted in a fractured ankle, the last couple of years have been bizarre for him.
The Mets, focusing on the wild boar incident, managed to restructure his deal. From earning $29.5 million, he is only guaranteed $6 million in 2020. He can earn more through incentives and bonuses. The guarantee will increase to $11 million if he makes the Opening Day roster. Will he? Only time will tell.
We haven’t seen the last of Yoenis Cespedes, that’s for sure. He will look to add more numbers to a very successful career that includes a .274/.328/.498 line with 163 homers and 524 RBI. He has 21.5 fWAR.