September call-ups couldn’t be coming at a better time.
The number of nagging injuries in Queens keeps mounting, and the multitude of Mets afflicted left Monday’s bench so thin Terry Collins only had two position players — aside from backup catcher Rene Rivera — available in an important game against the Marlins at Citi Field.
Though Yoenis Cespedes was back in the lineup — and hit a dramatic, walk-off, 10th-inning homer in the Mets’ 2-1 win — after missing one game, his quad, which caused him to miss 14 games earlier this season, appears as if he won’t be 100 percent until the offseason. Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera were both out again with minor injuries and their return dates are unclear.
Come Thursday, the Mets will have many more options, with the rosters set to expand from 25 to as many as 40 players. Collins said he is looking forward to having the option of using young players with major league experience, if needed, but also noted how difficult it would be even for top talent like Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo to excel if thrown in the middle of the final month of a playoff race.
“Anytime you have the expanded rosters it helps you and protects you because we’re banged up, but let me tell you something, if Yoenis Cespedes goes down, that’s an awful lot to ask of Brandon Nimmo or Michael Conforto to make up for him,” Collins said before Monday’s game. “If you don’t have your best players and they don’t play good, it’s tough to replace them. That’s what it all comes down to. We’re sitting here today and we’re very, very lucky. We have some quality backup guys on our club right now. … We’re lucky to have some guys that can fill in … but filling in one night is one thing.”
It’s hard to imagine new blood performing any worse than the Mets’ experienced outfielders.
Curtis Granderson is batting .150 in August and has 35 RBIs for the entire season. Alejandro De Aza, who hit second on Monday, is batting .196 this season. Jay Bruce, expected to be the big bat needed to solidify a second straight playoff appearance, was benched for the second time in three games and is batting .165 since arriving in New York.
Conforto could provide a spark for the team’s offense for the second straight stretch run. He batted .270 as a late-season rookie call-up last year, but struggled this season, earning his latest demotion Aug. 13. Since returning to Las Vegas, though, the 23-year-old has hit .509 over 14 games.
The Mets recently passed on promoting Conforto — citing no natural position for him at the time — but could greatly benefit from his expected return when the rosters expand.
“When we get him back in here, he’s got to be able to do what he did last year,” Collins said. “The one thing we don’t need is another guy that’s struggling. Because then it becomes a huge juggling match.”
In addition to Conforto and Nimmo, the Mets are expected to promote several players who have also already been on the big stage, including infielders Matt Reynolds and T.J. Rivera, catcher Kevin Plawecki and relief pitcher Erik Goeddel.
Their experience helps, but the infusion of enthusiasm may be even better.
“It probably brings a little more energy when you have younger guys coming up and it’s fun,” catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “It’ll be nice, especially for us to give the guys the days off to be able to have rest here and there. To have guys that have been up here, not only during the regular season, but also during a playoff run, they know how to go about their business and know exactly what to do.”