Mets Lose to Nationals; News and Notes...
Jose Martinez shelved with torn meniscus, Yamamoto rebounds after tough first
Image via New York Mets
News and notes. Let’s do it. From the top…
Mets skipper Luis Rojas gave an update on injured bench cog Jose Martinez, who twisted his knee in Sunday’s loss to Miami, on Monday.
Martinez, 32 tore his left meniscus and will undergo surgery. He’s expected to miss at least four months.
Per Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Mets are a player for veteran third baseman Maikel Franco’s services. Franco, 28, hit .278/.321/.457 in 60 games with the Royals last season.
Without Martinez’s right-handed bat on the bench, Franco’s could fit like a glove. We shall see.
Also per Heyman, the Mets and shortstop Francisco Lindor are expected to begin contract extension talks this week. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com added that once those negotiations are in the can, the Mets are expected to engage Michael Conforto in similar talks.
Exciting times! On to the field…
The Mets lost to the Nationals, 9-5, on Monday in West Palm Beach, FL (box score). They drop to 3-3 on the spring ahead of their matchup with St. Louis on Tuesday in Port St. Lucie (1:10 PM, SNY).
Right-hander Jordan Yamamoto started for the Mets, allowing two runs on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts over three innings of work.
Following his would-be inning-ending fielding error on a Juan Soto comebacker in the first — leading to the Nats’ first runs later in the frame (Ryan Zimmerman and Kyle Schwarber RBI singles) — Yamamoto settled down, erasing Alex Avila’s leadoff base hit in the second with a 6-4-3 double play in the second and inducing three groundballs in a perfect third.
When asked about the pressure to perform in exhibition games as he’s fighting for an active roster spot — and potentially a place in the Mets’ starting rotation — through camp, Yamamoto focused on the bigger picture.
“At the end of the day, it’s still a game, you’ve gotta still have fun with it,” he said. “[The error] was definitely a hard part of the day, the worst part of the day. But other than that it definitely was a good day. Had some guys make some outstanding plays behind me.”
J.D. Davis got the start at third base, picking up three walks and a run scored. Following his exit, Davis joked with reporters that “maybe I shouldn’t have even brought a bat out there today”.
Davis touched on his run-scoring throwing error in the fourth, shrugging it off as a “mental error” after shifting multiple times in the inning.
It’s been a tough go thus far for the Mets’ fielders. After committing seven errors in their past two games, Rojas addressed his team’s lack of defensive acuity postgame.
“That’s something that we need to improve,” he said. “You want to say it’s early in camp and we have room to, but we need to do it right now.”
Luis Guillorme, who’s been mentioned as another option at third base for Mets manager Luis Rojas, continued his hot spring with a 2-for-3 day at the plate (5-for-11 in Grapefruit League play) and made a sparkling defensive gem at second base.
Dellin Betances (IP, H, R), Robert Gsellman (IP, 2 H, K), Matt Allan (IP, 4 H, 3 R, ER, K), Stephen Tarpley (IP, 3 H, ER), and Franklyn Kilome (IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB) all got work in on Monday, including Allan’s first Grapefruit League appearance.
Speaking of the kids… They are alright, as infield prospect Mark Vientos stretched his spring hot streak with two doubles and two runs scored and outfield prospect Jake Hager crushed a three-run homer in the eighth.
Mets top third base prospect Brett Baty — who’s received consistent reps with the big club this spring — told reporters postgame that he has been working with both Davis and Pete Alonso in the cages and at the corners, adding that spending time in a big-league camp has been a “dream come true”.
The 21-year-old is 2-for-7 this spring with a double and two runs batted in.
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Team defense, bullpen, and lack of a 3B are the Achilles Heel of this ballclub.
If the Mets would consider Franco to replace Martinez as a RH bat who provides no real defensive value, why not Edwin Encarnacion as a straight pinch hitter?