The New York Mets have some interesting decisions to make when the roster expands from 26 players to 28 on September 1. The expectation is that the blue and orange will be calling up one position player and one pitcher
On Wednesday, first-year Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke to the media and revealed the traits of the position player who could be getting the call.
“Versatility, speed,” Mendoza said. “Those are some of the discussions we are having and what develops in the next couple of days — we’re looking at versatility and speed.”
With the current options on the 40-man roster, that sounds like a top prospect could be heading to the show.
Mendoza could have been hinting at Luisangel Acuña
When considering the Mets’ 40-man roster and the type of player Mendoza desires, only one name fits: Luisangel Acuña.
Acuña, who the blue and orange acquired in the Max Scherzer deal last summer, has had an inconsistent first full season in Triple-A. However, the 22-year-old has been swinging the bat much better lately and has respectable numbers with a .264/.308/.367 slash line across 117 games with seven home runs and 47 RBIs.
Acuña would also fit the two traits the first-year manager is looking for in speed (34 stolen bases, five triples, and 19 doubles) and positional versatility (the 22-year-old has played center field, second base, and shortstop).
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Who is Acuña’s competition on the Mets?
The other position players on the Mets’ 40-man roster are Brett Baty (who likely would have been getting the call-up before fracturing his finger a few days ago), Ronny Mauricio (who is recovering from a torn ACL), Alex Ramirez, and DJ Stewart.
Stewart does not provide the speed or positional versatility. However, Ramirez does have the speed, with 35 steals for Double-A Binghamton. His bat hasn’t been the most productive this season, with a slash line of just .211/.296/.303 across 108 games, along with five home runs and 45 RBIs.
The organization could opt to call up someone not on the 40-man roster and have the space with an open spot on the 40-man, but all signs are pointing to Acuña getting the call up when the calendar flips to the ninth month.
