Just Mets

After today’s 3-2 loss to the Braves, Terry Collins didn’t totally discount the possibility of Matt Reynolds making the club out of spring training.

“It all depends on what we’re looking at at the end of camp as a utility player. We’re going to need somebody certainly to back up the middle of the infield. It’s a lot to ask of a young guy but if he’s a baseball player he can handle it because he gets himself ready to play,” Collins said, according to the Star Ledger’s Mike Vorkunov.

Reynolds hit for Wilmer Flores in the eighth inning and singled to left field, raising his average to .500 over 12 at-bats this spring.

Meanwhile, Flores went 1-for-3 against the Braves on Tuesday, raising his average to .429 in 14 spring at-bats.

Unless Reynolds beats Wilmer Flores for the starting shortstop job this spring, I don’t see how he can make the club out of camp. As of now, it just doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Reynolds needs to play everyday, and serving as a backup or utility infielder doesn’t accomplish that. The Mets need some sort of internal insurance policy to Wilmer, and the only way to know if Reynolds can be that guy is if he’s playing everyday and continuing to develop as a shortstop. That can only happen in the minor leagues, whether his bat is big league ready or not.

It’s also worth noting Reynolds is not yet on the 40-man roster, which could play a significant role in this process…