April 22: Soto was officially activated, as expected, and Senger was selected as a complementary move.
April 21: The Mets plan to give back Juan Soto on the injured list Wednesday, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He has been on the 10-day IL for a little over two weeks but will now return without being reassigned.
Soto, of course, is one of the best hitters in the league. He posted a massive .355/.412/.516 line in the team’s first eight games. A strain in his right calf sidelined him and sent him to IL. Soto’s absence is almost like the club’s season coming to an end. The Mets won their first game with Soto in the IL, improving their record to 7-4. It has since dropped 11 straight contests, falling to 7-15. That’s the worst record in the National League and he’s one game better than the Royals at worst in the majors.
Ideally, Soto’s return will help the Mets get back into the win column before the season gets underway. They still have a lot of time to do it but they have put themselves in a hole. FanGraphs still gives the Mets a 41.4% chance of making the postseason, which doesn’t look too bad in the current climate, but that’s a fraction of the 80.4% chance they had to start the campaign.
The outfield has been a weak spot for the team since Soto was shelved. The team has gotten a combined .232/.305/.322 line from its outfielders since Soto IL was placed. That line translates to an 83 wRC+, which puts the team 17% below average, with only seven clubs below it in that category.
The Mets planned to have them Carson Benge ok, Luis Robert Jr. center and Soto on the left as their main alignment. Robert is playing well but Benge has a .143/.229/.206 line on the year. That’s due to a struggling .182 batting average while playing, but his struggles have coincided with Soto’s absence. Brett Baty he’s been heavily outfielded due to the Mets’ offseason additions but has a .200/.206/.277 line this year. Tyrone Taylor is hitting .214/.241/.357. Tommy Pham unbeaten in eight plates.
Because of both Soto and Jorge Polanco being in IL, MJ Melendez get playing time in selected batting position. He has a .357/.438/.714 line but in a small sample of 16 plate appearances. That was helped by an .800 BABIP and came despite striking out eight times, half of his plate appearances. He’s not going to continue this kind of production, especially since he’s a .216/.298/.391 hitter in nearly 1700 career plate appearances.
The Mets will have to move someone off the active roster when Soto is officially reinstated. They currently have three catchers, so they’re picky Hayden Senger probably a simple solution. Recalling Senger from Polanco a few days ago was about giving the club an opportunity to use Francisco Alvarez in the DH spot when he got a day off from catching, but they’ve been riding Melendez’s hot hand instead.
Choosing Benge is another option, as he is struggling. But that being said, some of that is down to some good ball luck, so the Mets might as well keep him around and hope his luck turns. Melendez also has options, but the Mets may allow him to continue until the hot streak ends. Assigning Pham a job would be another, because he doesn’t play much and doesn’t hit when given the chance.
Photo courtesy of Robert Edwards, Imagn Images
