Ronny Mauricio has become the forgotten man on the Mets roster, a fact that manager Carlos Mendoza isn’t about to sugarcoat.
“He’s in a tough spot, and it’s a tough spot for me, too,” Mendoza said Wednesday before the Mets fell to the Padres at Citi Field, 7-4.
Entering play, the rookie had just four at-bats in September, all in a pinch-hitting role. Mauricio’s last start came on August 24, when he started at third base in Atlanta. He saw no action again Wednesday night.
Mendoza pointed to the intense competition Mauricio faces daily for playing time, with Jeff McNeil, Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, and Starling Marte all vying for at-bats. Vientos was squeezed out of the starting lineup on Wednesday as Marte got the start at designated hitter.
Mauricio struggled at the plate recently, producing only a .410 OPS in August after thriving earlier in the summer. The Mets also have Luisangel Acuna as an infield option, who primarily serves as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement.
“It’s not an easy situation for a young player,” Mendoza said, referring to Mauricio. “But the way he’s handling it is being completely a pro.”
In other news, Francisco Alvarez gave the Mets a scare Tuesday night when he was hit in the left arm and had to leave the game. Thankfully, the banged-up catcher returned to the starting lineup on Wednesday.
“It’s amazing,” Mendoza said of Alvarez, who managed to hit his ninth homer of the year in the seventh inning Wednesday night. “As soon as it happened [Tuesday] night, when I went out on the field I thought he was going to be done. He didn’t sound good from the dugout, and when you look up, that was 102 mph that got him on the elbow.”
Further evaluation revealed that Alvarez was struck more in the triceps than the elbow.
Luis Torrens was activated from the injured list, with Hayden Senger optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Torrens had been sidelined for 10 days due to a forearm contusion.
Meanwhile, Tylor Megill is still under evaluation as the Mets consider options regarding his right elbow.
https://nypost.com/2025/09/18/sports/ronny-mauricio-has-been-odd-man-out-during-mets-stretch-run/
