September is upon us, and with the New York Mets in the thick of the playoff hunt, these games matter much more than in years past.
With the stakes so high, president of baseball operations David Stearns had some big decisions to make regarding who to call up.
Earlier this week, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave his two cents on the type of position player the first-year manager would like to see join the ranks.
“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.”
For many of the Flushing Faithful, that sounded like top prospect Luisangel Acuña.
Acuña, who has been hitting the cover off the ball of late in Triple-A, perfectly describes the two traits desired with having speed ( 36 stolen bases and six triples) as well as positional versatility (the 22-year-old has played center field, second base, and shortstop).
However, the blue and orange decided to go a different route, making a surprise call-up instead.
The Mets have called up Pablo Reyes
According to a post from the organization via X, the Mets have called up infielder Pablo Reyes from Triple-A Syracuse.
Reyes came to the Mets this past May in a cash deal with the Boston Red Sox. Prior to the move, the 30-year-old appeared in 21 games this season with the Red Sox, where Reyes slashed .183/.234/.217 with no home runs and five RBIs.
The Dominican Republic native has fared much better since being traded to the blue and orange. In 58 games at Triple-A Syracuse, Reyes has slashed .283/ .361/.478 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs while also recording 10 stolen bases.
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What does this mean for the Mets?
While Reyes certainly wasn’t the player the Flushing Faithful expected to call up, he does check both boxes that Mendoza wanted in speed and positional versatility. The 30-year-old has spent time playing every infield position except first base and has also played right field.
Should the Dominican Republic native falter, there is a chance Acuña could get the call to replace him. Still, it seems for the time being that the organization would prefer for the top prospect to finish the season in Triple-A and push for a spot in the major leagues next spring.
