The Mets made a move a lot of fans were waiting for. They DFA’D Joey Wendle after the 4-0 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday.
Wendle came to the Mets as a free agent last off-season to be the middle infield back up. Wendle was mostly acquired for his defense and the defense was very disappointing.
Wendle has a minus 2 Outs Above Average, making some questionable decisions over the early season, costing the Mets some important runs, that turned out very costly. His Defensive Runs Saved wasn’t much better at minus 1. For a player you get for his defense, that isn’t going to cut it. Wendle also didn’t do much with the bat. He hit just .235 with a .522 OPS.
The Mets promoted Mark Vientos, who will platoon with Brett Baty at third base. Right now the back up Short Stop is most likely Jeff McNeil. While, that’s not a perfect solution, it’s worth mentioning that Lindor plays every day.
Still, the Mets have some better defensive options in the minors. Jose Iglesias is playing well for the Syracuse Mets and known for his flashy glove. The Mets also added Mike Brosseau recently. A hitter known for his success against Left Handed pitching. He had a three homerun day yesterday in a Syracuse Mets win.
The Mets also have top prospect Luisangel Acuna in AAA, who obviously will need to start when he is promoted. Acuna is starting to pick it up after a very difficult start in AAA this year. Acuna extended his hitting streak to 10 games on Tuesday with a 1 for 5 day.
Right now it’s Vientos, with likely McNeil being the emergency short stop. The Mets need some offense and hopefully Vientos can show himself again. Also, time for Baty to pick it up with some immediate competition at third right now.
The Mets also DFA’D Yohan Ramirez for the second time, after a successful second stint with the Mets.
