When the injury-plagued Mets acquired James Loney for cash on May 28, the thinking was he would be part of a platoon at first base with Wilmer Flores, supplying the left-handed at-bats.
It would be a temporary matter, with Lucas Duda expected back later this season after being sidelined with a stress fracture in his back. There was no way of telling what the future would hold for Loney upon Duda’s return.
“I don’t know [what will happen]. You just go out and play,” said Loney, who brought a six-game hitting streak into Saturday night’s game against the Braves at Citi Field. “You don’t think that way. You see your name in the lineup and you just go out and play.”
For however long, and in whatever role. Loney, a .285 career hitter, did not bring the power of Duda when the Mets acquired him from the Padres, but he is a competent major league veteran who played for the Dodgers, Red Sox and last season, the Rays, before he was released in April.
He signed on with San Diego and was hitting .342 with the Padres’ Triple-A El Paso affiliate before the Mets got him. Loney still was introducing himself to the Mets when the immediate picture changed. David Wright’s neck injury, which eventually required surgery, forced Flores to third base, leaving Loney as the primary option at first for now. And with the Mets’ offense already operating through the loss of starting catcher Travis d’Arnaud, anything Loney supplied would be welcome.
“When you pick up for David or you pick up for Duda or pick up for Travis, you’re not asking anybody to do what they can do, you’re just asking them to once in a while be a big part of it,” manager Terry Collins said. “I’ve known him for years [from the Dodgers] and he fits in great. He’s a great guy. He can play defense. Not a big home run guy, but he puts ball in play.”
So far, Loney has adapted smoothly.
“It’s been great, The transition has been easy,” Loney said. “The guys here have been great. Everyone has been real accommodating.
“I wouldn’t say anything has been a surprise. You can tell everybody is hungry to win around here. They have a lot of fun around here, too., keep it loose. And then you just go out there and compete.”
As Loney spoke, half the Mets’ starting rotation was engaged in a less-than-pressurized game, shooting a foam basketball at a miniature backboard. Suffice it to say the Warriors’ Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson need not worry about losing their 3-point shooting crowns.
But hey, pitchers aren’t paid to shoot mini basketballs.
“There are some tough arms over here and some guys that really know what they’re doing out there,” said Loney, smiling the smile of every player who formerly saw the likes of Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Bartolo Colon from an opposing viewpoint before joining the Mets.
“Any time you have a team like that, built with that kind of pitching you have a really good chance of winning a lot of games,” Loney said, admitting to vast understatement.
So Loney has brought the Mets what they have expected. He had 16 appearances entering Saturday and reached base safely in 14 of those games. He has hit one homer since signing on, but that blast, the 100th of his career, gave the Mets and Syndergaard the lead for good on June 3 against Miami. Overall as a Met, Loney was hitting .258 with four RBIs.
“He sprays ball all over the field,” Collins said. “I’m hoping he continues to get some big hits for us because he’s in a spot where he’s going [to get] some RBI situations.”