Mark Vientos landing on the injured list opened the door for another Mets roster move, but Ronny Mauricio never got the call.
Instead, New York chose Zack Short, a decision that said plenty about where Mauricio stands right now. Christian Arroyo was also passed over, even though he would have been the cleanest direct fit for Vientos. Mauricio was the lone infielder on the 40-man roster before Short was added, yet the Mets still looked elsewhere.
The easy explanation would be that the team wants Mauricio to keep playing every day in the minors. But Friday’s setup made the choice feel bigger than that.
With Bo Bichette out of the starting lineup and Short starting at second base, Mauricio had a real opening. Against right-hander Sonny Gray, it looked like the kind of spot where he could have been used.
Instead, Short got the nod, then left after two plate appearances for pinch hitter Tyrone Taylor, with Andy Green making the move in an attempt to win the game.
The Mets could have handled the roster more simply. Mauricio had been optioned to the minors earlier in the week and had not spent enough time there to be recalled yet. They had a similar situation with Tobias Myers, but Myers was able to come back because he was technically the replacement for Vientos to replace an injured player, which meant he did not have to serve 10 days in the minors first.
What makes the decision harder to ignore is Mauricio’s production in the majors. He hit .226/.293/.369 last season in 184 plate appearances, and this year he has been even quieter, slashing .180/.180/.260 in 50 chances. He has only one extra-base hit, a double, which makes it tough to argue the Mets are missing much by leaving him out.
At Triple-A, though, he has been a different player. Mauricio has crushed 6 home runs in 81 chances and is hitting .311/.358/.939 this season.
The gap between those numbers and what he has done in the majors is impossible to miss. Whether it is pressure, the level of pitching, or both, he has not been able to bring that production with him to New York, and he has not even drawn a walk in the big leagues.
The roster picture only gets tighter from here. Brett Baty at third base and A.J.
Ewing at second base, where he finished Friday’s game, give the Mets other options, and that has pushed Mauricio further to the side. Even when his opportunities have come, they have not been convincing enough to create a real push for more.
Mauricio is nearing 20 days served in the minors this year as he burns through his final option, and the path ahead does not look much different from what happened with Luisangel Acuna last year. The difference is the hype that followed Mauricio for years as one of the organization’s top prospects.
The likely ending still feels familiar: the Mets eventually looking for a salary dump trade in the offseason. Who has a Luis Robert Jr. they can sell us?
In Other News...
Mets 2027 Rotation Looks Closer Than Fans Think But One Need Looms
The Mets can already sketch a plausible 2027 rotation without squinting too hard, which is not something that has always been true for this franchise. Sean Manaea, Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Clay Holmes give the club a mix of established arms and younger pieces to imagine around, while Freddy Peralta sits out there as the kind of proven starter who could change the whole conversation if the price ever lines up.
Still, the picture is not complete, and that is what makes the next couple of seasons so interesting in Queens. The organization has internal depth to consider, including Jonah Tong as a possible long-term answer, but the real issue is finding the kind of frontline starter that can anchor a postseason-caliber staff. However the Mets go about it, whether through the trade market or a bigger swing in free agency, the need for a true ace is the part of the rotation puzzle that remains unsolved. [Read more 🡒]
Former Mets Draft Pick Is Suddenly Back In The Spotlight
Gavyn Jones has quietly worked his way back into the conversation since the Mets took the left-hander in the 18th round of the 2023 MLB Draft and he opted for college instead of signing. After beginning at McLennan Community College, he moved on to Oklahoma and settled into a bigger role with the Sooners, giving him a chance to keep developing rather than jumping straight into pro ball. He also got valuable summer work in the Cape Cod Baseball League, the kind of stage that tends to put a pitcher back on scouts radar.
Now draft eligible again, Jones is once more the sort of name teams will have to sort through carefully because the path has already taken a few turns. He was the only one of the Mets 2023 high school draftees not to sign, and his rise through junior college and Oklahoma has only added to the intrigue around what comes next. For the Mets, it is another reminder that a late-round pick can leave the organization, grow elsewhere and still circle back into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]