Just Mets

If Daniel Murphy has to miss an extended period of time with a strained hamstring, Terry Collins is interested in evaluating an unexpected candidate for a utility infielder role.

After today’s split-squad wins against the Astros and Cardinals, Terry Collins told reporters he would like to see if Daniel Muno could be a fit for a spot on his bench.

“I want to see if he has the potential to maybe be a bench player for us,” Collins said, according to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Muno, 26, is 9-for-20 with three runs scored this spring, although he is not currently on the 40-man roster.

Muno, the Mets eighth round selection in the 2011 first-year player draft,served a suspension for a violation of the minor league performance enhancing drug policy in 2012. He played in 117 games for Triple-A Las Vegas in 2014, hitting .259/.372/.418 with 14 home runs and 62 RBI in 435 plate appearances for the 51s.

Muno is mostly a middle infielder but he has played some third base in his professional career. He profiles as a top-of-the-order bat thanks to his speed and propensity to get on-base. He’s not young, so if there’s a time to see if he can cut it as a utility player at this level, this would be it. So far, he has seized all of his opportunities this spring.

Given he’s not on the 40-man roster, the odds are long Muno will make the team. If they need a longer-term replacement to Murphy, it would make sense for them to recall Dilson Herrera and leave Ruben Tejada in the utility infield role for now.