With Daniel Murphy’s status for Opening Day somewhat in doubt after he pulled his hamstring, it could’ve been assumed the Mets would recall Dilson Herrera to replace him.
Moving Wilmer Flores over to second base might have been a viable solution to consider as well.
Apparently, Herrera is staying on the minor league side for now, and Flores will remain the club’s primary shortstop.
Instead, the Mets will evaluate both Matt Reynolds and Daniel Muno as candidates to replace Murphy at second base, if Murphy is placed on the disabled list to start the season, according to the team’s beat reporters in Port St. Lucie.
Yesterday, Terry Collins mentioned Muno as someone he’d like to take a long look at for a possible utility role on the bench.
Muno is not on the 40-man roster. He 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, hitting .385 with a .429 OBP.
Reynolds’ success this spring has been well documented as he has entered the shortstop discussion for the club. He’s hit .423 with a .444 on-base percentage with one home run and three RBI in 26 Grapefruit League at-bats.
However, like Muno, Reynolds is not on the 40-man roster either. In addition, Reynolds’ defense is still a work in progress – he committed 17 errors at shortstop between Binghamton and Las Vegas last year.
In the end, the best possible player should get the job. Right now, I think that’s either Herrera or Reynolds. I like Muno, but he’s probably more valuable in the utility role Collins was referring to yesterday. Murphy’s availability at or around opening day wipeouts presumably factor into the decision, as there are 40-man roster and service time implications in play.
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2 responses to “Dilson Herrera, Wilmer Flores are not options to replace Daniel Murphy at second base”
Eh, people see problems, I see depth. Losing Wheeler stinks, but there are arms to take his place, and Harvey/deGrom still entrenched at the top.
Reynolds/Muno (and Herrera down th eline) don’t have Murphy’s track record, but at least they are viable alternatives in the short term.
As for the bullpen, I’ll be concerned once cuts are made league wide and the Mets don’t bring anyone in, but even then I won’t panic. You never know how relief pitchers will perform from year to year.
That, and Grandy, Cuddy and Wright are *all* hitting through camp and are all healthy… that, to me, is most important.
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All fair points. But they have sudden significant holes, despite depth. Remember, depth doesn’t always replace talent. It just makes decisions easier.
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