There has been a lot of optimism in recent weeks that New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will be on the active roster for the team’s July 24 season opener against the Atlanta Braves.
Sunday afternoon Mets manager Luis Rojas said he feels Cespedes’ bat is “ready for Opening Day” (quotes by means of Zach Braziller of the New York Post).
“I feel that his bat is ready for Opening Day. The way we saw him running yesterday, I feel he looks ready for Opening Day,†Rojas said on Sunday as the Mets continued spring training 2.0 at Citi Field. “He said it [on Saturday], which is always great to hear. But we’ll keep reassessing with that part.â€
Rojas sees encouraging signs in Cespedes’ base-running.
“His base-running is ahead of what I thought it was going to be like,†Rojas said. “I saw him running the bases [on Saturday] and he looks great. The defense is the part we need to see more and more [of], the progression. We’ll reassess as we speak with the performance staff.â€
Rojas reiterates the positivity surrounding Cespedes’ health, saying the outfielder looks “really good.”
“This guy, he does it all,†the first-year manager said. “He looks really [good].â€
Cespedes hasn’t appeared in a big-league game for the Mets since July 2018 due to a multitude of injuries. He has appeared in just 119 games since 2017 and been unable to play a full season since 2015, when the Mets acquired the outfielder at the Major League Baseball trade deadline from the Detroit Tigers.
Cespedes is part of an outfield rotation that includes Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, J.D. Davis and Jake Marisnick. MLB implemented a universal designated hitter for the 2020 season. The Mets could potentially utilize Cespedes as their DH.
The outfielder recently claimed that he’s healthy and will be ready for opening day.