The New York Mets entered the season with Amed Rosario as their starting shortstop. He had a .287/.323/.432 line last year and was even better in the second half, and the team officials thought he was going to break out in 2020.
Well, it’s safe to say that hasn’t been the case. Whereas he had a 100 wRC+ last season, which is basically league average offense, he is at 61 wRC+ in 2020. His inconsistent offense and defense have prompted New York Mets’ manager Luis Rojas to give more reps to rookie Andres Gimenez at Rosario’s expense.
Gimenez has started the last three games and will make his fourth straight appearance on Monday. He had a two-run single on Sunday and has a nice little .412 batting average in his last seven contests.
For the season, the Mets’ rookie has a .282/.329/.385 line with a 97 wRC+. As a left-handed hitter, he has been getting most of the playing time against righties, limiting Rosario to facing mostly lefties. It isn’t necessarily a permanent arrangement, but it is the one that seems to be working as of now.
The Mets’ gritty weapon
Gimenez is versatile, being capable of playing all over the infield but first base. He is speedy, he plays hard, and he has been trying to hit for power. If he keeps working and develops his game even further, the Mets could have an interesting debate as to which player could be the long-term starter at shortstop.
Prior to the weekend games, Rosario was benched after a three-hit performance against the Yankees.
“Right now, in this stretch that we are [in], we’re going to say that Giménez is getting back-to-back games because he’s looked really good against right-handed pitchers,†Rojas said to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “Rosie looked good his last game, but right now, we’re basically spending some time using Giménez as a hot hand.â€