Ronny Mauricio is 14-for-25 in seven games at Triple-A Syracuse. He hit his third homer Thursday to boost his slash line to a comical .560/.586/.960/1.546.
Ronny Mauricio. John Jones-USA TODAY Sports
The question doesn’t seem to be if he will be called up to the major leagues, but when? And, where will he play?
“He’s a player who has options,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said at a news conference last week. “So he’s going to stay in the minor leagues until we have a need.”
New York does have a need for offense, having scored two runs or fewer nine times this month. Overall, the Mets rank No. 13 in runs scored.
Mauricio, 24, was a top prospect (The Athletic’s Keith Law compared him to Alfonso Soriano) who played in 26 games for the Mets in 2023 (two homers, seven steals, .643 OPS). He tore the ACL in his right knee playing in the Dominican Winter League in December of that year, though.
At Syracuse, he has played three games at second base, three games at third and one at designated hitter, so he gives manager Carlos Mendoza a lot of options. He’s also a switch-hitter, providing even more versatility. Let’s speculate!
It seems the biggest candidates to lose playing time to Mauricio would be Tyrone Taylor (.245/.302/.354, one home run, four Defensive Runs Saved), Starling Marte (.225/.340/.326, two home runs) and Luisangel Acuña (.260/.313/.309, 11 steals).
Benching Taylor for Mauricio would require some shuffling, but it could be done if Mendoza moved Jeff McNeil from second to center, though that would weaken the club’s defense. McNeil has made 11 starts at second and six in center.
The least disruptive way to add Mauricio to the lineup would be to sit Marte, who’s served almost strictly as a designated hitter this season. While his overall numbers are poor, however, it is over a small sample size of 107 plate appearances, and he’s hit .300 (6-for-20) over the last 15 days. The thinking could be that there’s no reason to rush Mauricio if the 14-year veteran is coming around.
Acuña has gone 3-for-16 in the last 15 days with one steal, though he continues to provide value as a late-game defensive replacement and pinch runner. Putting Mauricio in Acuña’s mostly reserve role wouldn’t give the offense much of a lift though, assuming he hits on arrival.
At third base, Mark Vientos has had a disappointing start to the year (.690 OPS, six homers), while Brett Baty has come on of late with five home runs and an .889 OPS in May. It would be a surprise if Mauricio jumped ahead of either of them on the depth chart.
