Hey Siri, What’s Going On With the Mets Heart Area Scenario?

The Mets upgraded their outfield in a giant method this previous winter just by signing Juan Soto, however even with the $765 Million Man hitting moderately nicely — if less than his personal excessive requirements — the unit has been one of many majors’ least productive so far. Now an harm has shaken up the roster, as Jose Siri has been sidelined by a fractured tibia, main the group to check Jeff McNeil in heart whereas he’s on a rehab task and establishing some additional experimentation.

The Mets acquired the 29-year-old Siri in a commerce with the Rays final November 19. By the primary two and a half weeks of the season, he shared time in heart with Tyrone Taylor; each gamers are righties, so the Mets didn’t have a strict platoon in place. On Saturday, Siri fouled a ball off his left shin, and whereas preliminary X-rays have been destructive, a follow-up MRI taken two days later revealed a fracture. The Mets lastly positioned Siri on the 10-day injured record previous to Thursday’s recreation, however they haven’t given any indication as to when he’ll return. As supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned, “[H]e’s going to be out for some time.”

“Awhile” might be measured in months. Based on the Baseball Prospectus Restoration Dashboard, the few examples of position-player absences resulting from tibia fractures ranged from 86 days (Tommy La Stella in 2019) to 160 days (Andre Ethier in 2016), with Nick Gordon’s 137 days in 2023 representing the midpoint; one has to low cost the 60-day absence of former Met Phillip Evans as a result of the 2018 common season ended earlier than he may get well.

Siri, who hit simply .187/.255/.366 (78 wRC+) for the Rays final yr, had began this season much more slowly, hitting .050/.208/.100 (8 wRC+) in 24 plate appearances; he’s collected 4 walks however only one hit whereas placing out eight instances. Foul balls off of physique components apart, he has not been making good contact, averaging simply 81.8 mph on his 12 batted balls. Given his velocity and his defensive prowess, he’s the kind of participant who doesn’t have to provide league-average offense to be helpful; he produced 1.9 WAR in 448 PA final yr regardless of his struggles on the plate, and Mets have been hoping he may no less than match that if not his 2.6 WAR and 106 wRC+ in 364 PA in 2023.

The 31-year-old Taylor, who hit a good .248/.299/.401 (98 wRC+) in 345 PA for the Mets final yr, hasn’t been significantly better than Siri. Even with hits in his final two video games, he’s batting simply .174/.208/.217 (25 wRC+) in 48 PA. By no means what you’d name a affected person hitter — he owns a profession stroll price of simply 5.3% — he has but to attract a free move this yr, and is chasing 41.6% of pitches outdoors the strike zone, a price over 9 share factors increased than his profession mark. That mentioned, his 20.8% strikeout price is a bit under his profession norm, and his Statcast anticipated numbers (.237 xBA, .357 xSLG), whereas not significantly spectacular, aren’t that far under his marks from final yr, suggesting he’s able to approximating that manufacturing.

Possibly so, however so far Mets heart fielders have been the worst within the majors by way of each wRC+ and WAR:

That slash line is downright pitcher-esque. What’s Noah Syndergaard (profession .153/.206/.266, 29 wRC+) as much as today, anyway?

With Soto within the midst of a 2-for-22 slide that has lowered his seasonal slash line to .221/.361/.412 (123 wRC+) in 83 PA, and with left fielder Brandon Nimmo off to a sluggish begin as nicely (.194/.253/.403, 87 wRC+ in 79 PA), the Mets outfield as a complete has the seventh-lowest wRC+ among the many 30 groups, and is tied for the fourth-lowest WAR:

In the event you’re in search of silver linings right here, whereas the unit’s .199 BABIP is the bottom among the many 30 groups, Mets outfielders are literally making higher contact than most. Their 47.2% hard-hit price ranks seventh, whereas they’re eighth in common exit velocity (90.6 mph), eleventh in xSLG (.430), thirteenth in barrel price (9.8%), and 14th in xwOBA (.328). Soto has been the most efficient of the bunch, but it surely’s not as if he’s distorting these metrics both; his 7.3% barrel price is definitely under the group’s mark, and his .438 xSLG and 49.1% hard-hit price are solely barely above the remainder of the pack.

To interchange Siri on the roster, the Mets referred to as up José Azocar, a 28-year-old righty whom they claimed off waivers from the Padres final September. Azócar is extra of an organizational depth piece than an actual resolution, as he has but to indicate he can produce as much as main league requirements. In components of three seasons, he’s hit .243/.287/.322 (74 wRC+) whereas enjoying protection that’s been barely above common throughout all three outfield positions.

The group does produce other inner choices for heart, together with Nimmo, who made 22 begins and 28 complete appearances in heart final yr, his first whereas often enjoying left. Rookie Luisangel Acuña performed 31 video games in heart at Triple-A Syracuse final yr, and had a number of appearances there within the Venezuelan Winter League as nicely. Whereas sharing time with Brett Baty at second base, the 23-year-old Acuña has hit .263/.349/.342 (106 wRC+) in 43 PA, far more productive than Baty’s .209/.209/.302 (43 wRC+) line in the identical variety of journeys to the plate. Acuña can also be the extra skilled of the 2 on the keystone, so transferring him to heart would carry a value, no less than till McNeil returns. “We’re making ready Acuña for a possible begin [in center] if we’d like him to,” Mendoza mentioned on Thursday. “He’s enjoying nicely. He’s incomes alternatives right here.”

As for the 33-year-old McNeil, who hit a modest .238/.308/.384 (97 wRC+) final yr, he strained his indirect in mid-March and has but to make his season debut. He started a rehab task at Excessive-A St. Lucie final Friday, and after three video games at second base, he began in heart on Thursday evening and performed six innings there. He made his lone putout on a formidable sliding catch within the left-center hole:

Jeff McNeil makes a sliding catch in heart area!

McNeil is enjoying heart tonight on his rehab task for Single-A St. Lucie: pic.twitter.com/vWvsW9IR7O

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 17, 2025

Whereas McNeil has practically 300 video games of main league expertise within the outfield, simply three of these have are available heart area, all in 2023. Previous to Thursday, he’d made three cameos in heart within the minors totaling 12 innings, however he did play heart for 21 video games at Lengthy Seashore State again in 2013, simply earlier than the Mets drafted him within the twelfth spherical.

If he have been to affix the middle area combine within the majors, the lefty-swinging McNeil would match right into a platoon with Taylor; oddly, the Mets have confronted simply two lefty starters to date, together with the Astros’ Framber Valdez on Opening Day. In Soto, Nimmo, Baty, DH Jesse Winker, and switch-hitter Francisco Lindor, the Mets don’t lack for bats with the platoon benefit towards righties, however they haven’t been in a position to reap the benefits of that, as Lindor and Winker have — you guessed it — began slowly as nicely. The group presently owns a 92 wRC+ towards lefties, in comparison with a 96 wRC+ towards righties. Past the heroics of Pete Alonso (214 wRC+), it’s not offense that’s put New York atop the NL East standings with a 12-7 file, it’s a pitching employees with a 2.30 ERA.

Wanting additional down the street, later this season the Mets may check out Drew Gilbert in heart, no less than if issues go nicely. The 24-year-old Gilbert, a 2022 first-round decide who was acquired from the Astros within the 2023 Justin Verlander commerce, was the Mets’ no. 2 prospect final yr as a 50-FV heart fielder with plus velocity and above-average uncooked energy packed right into a 5-foot-9 bundle. Sadly, a proper hamstring pressure in his seventh recreation at Triple-A Syracuse value him two months, and he hit simply .215/.313/.393 in 56 video games on the stage, with unimpressive Statcast numbers (85 mph common exit velo, 26.1% hard-hit price). He did shut his season on the next observe, homering 9 instances in his remaining 30 video games. Restricted by additional issues along with his hamstring this spring, he started this season on Syracuse’s 7-day IL, and after six video games on a rehab task at St. Lucie, made his return to Syracuse on Thursday evening, going 1-for-4 whereas enjoying heart. A strong efficiency over the subsequent couple of months may put him on the radar for a call-up.

After all, if the Mets proceed to contend, they may very well be available in the market for an improve on the commerce deadline. Theoretically, White Sox heart fielder Luis Robert Jr. can be the highest choice amongst gamers who may very well be moved throughout the season, however after a disappointing 2024 marketing campaign, the 27-year-old Robert is off to a good worse begin this yr (.136/.235/.203, 32 wRC+). Scroll again as much as the primary desk above, and also you’ll see that the group’s wRC+ and WAR from heart outrank — rank being the operative phrase right here — solely the Mets. Robert is signed by way of 2027, and the White Sox anticipate a serious haul after they lastly commerce him, so there’s no sense in doing so whereas his inventory is so depressed.

The excellent news is that the Mets’ robust begin has purchased them a while to experiment with their handful of inner choices whereas hoping that Taylor comes round, and that Siri will get a reset as soon as he’s wholesome. Within the meantime, it ought to be fascinating to see how McNeil and/or Acuña take to heart, and the way the Mets fill the place in the event that they nonetheless want an improve later this summer season.