Acuña Brings Athleticism to Lineup, Lindor Available Off Bench
It’s an exciting time in Mets land.
The Mets announced after Friday’s 11-3 rout of the Phillies that Luisangel Acuña would be promoted to the major league roster ahead of Saturday’s game.
Luisangel Acuña, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
The decision, originally believed to be the opposite, was influenced by the injury to Francisco Lindor on Friday. The shortstop was removed with lower back tightness, and is not in the lineup for Saturday’s matchup with the Phillies.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for a while,” David Stearns said prior to Saturday’s game. “And I think with LIndor’s tweak yesterday we thought now was the right time.”
Acuña will take DJ Stewart‘s roster spot, adding more versatility and speed to the lineup. The prospect has stolen 40 bases in 54 attempts this season, along with playing shortstop, second base, and centerfield in 131 games at Syracuse.
The speed, along with the ability to play multiple positions, is a need the Mets have had since Jeff McNeil went down with a regular season-ending injury. Acuña can plug into the aforementioned three positions and play solid defense at all three. In 1,094 defensive innings, Acuñ has only committed 15 errors (10 at shortstop).
The only question mark surrounding Acuña will be his bat. He has struggled significantly at the plate in 2024, slashing only .258/.299/.355 with seven homers and 20 doubles.
The mark itself is below average, and even worse for the International League, which is known for its prolific offense.
Acuña hasn’t hit, or gotten on base, limiting his prized speed on the base paths. Whether or not he gets into the lineup consistently over the last 15 games is unknown.
Still, it’s hard to believe the Mets would call up a struggling prospect not to use him. The speed and defense alone are valuable enough to a roster that is fighting for a postseason birth.
And, at the very least, the Mets got more athletic. Stewart had only two singles in seven at-bats since being recalled, and only recorded nine extra-base hits in 74 games.
The addition of Acuña also gives Mendoza another right-handed option off the bench. Newly acquired Eddy Alvarez has similar versatility to Acuña, but is left-handed and is a utility infielder.
Mendoza has already tipped his hand on using Acuña with today’s lineup. He’ll make his major league debut at shortstop against the Phillies, with veteran Jose Iglesias starting at second base.
Acuña could see most of his work come against lefties. This could make sense of the callup, with the Mets are facing lefties Kolby Allard and Cristopher Sanchez this series against the Phillies, and then the Nationals next who have four left-handers in their rotation.
It is, however, worth mentioning that Acuña slashed better against right-handers (.261/.301/.371) than left-handers this season (.250/.299/.307), but is substantially better than Alvarez’s .069/.206/.138 slashline against lefties.
Franciso Lindor Update
Francisco Lindor is out of the Mets lineup for the first time since May 1. He was removed from last night’s game with lower back soreness.
However, prior to Saturday’s matchup, Mendoza reiterated the injury wasn’t severe.
“I thought is was best for him to (rest) the first few innings of the game,” Mendoza said. “We’ll see what happens.”
Mendoza also stated that Lindor would be available off the bench if needed.The news is best case scenario for the Mets and their postseason chances. The shortstop has had an MVP caliber season slashing .270/.341/.493 with 31 homers and has been a catalyst for the Mets down the stretch.
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