All signs were pointing to David Wright bouncing back after a miserable 2014 campaign in which he suffered from injury and underperformance for much of the season.
Wright was off to an 11-for-33 start at the plate with a homer and four RBI. He was hitting to all fields, and outside of one mental mistake was mostly flawless at the hot corner.
Then came his pulled hamstring in the second home game of the year, forcing the Mets to seek an alternative for the foreseeable future.
Once again, the Mets were able to benefit from the depth they had on the infield within their minor league system, calling upon Eric Campbell to replace Wright at third while the team’s captain rests his hamstring.
And the Mets really haven’t missed a beat in Wright’s absence.
“That’s my job, when any of those corner guys go down, my job is to step in and not miss a beat,” Campbell said, according to the New York Post. “That was my goal at the beginning of the season and so far it has worked out well.”
Campbell was originally optioned to the minors before Opening Day so the Mets could carry an eighth reliever in the bullpen. He did not deserve the demotion, but based on the limitations of the roster and the need to protect the club’s starting pitchers, Campbell became a necessary sacrifice.
“When [Campbell] got sent out, we all wanted to keep him,” Terry Collins said after Saturday’s win. “All he said is, ‘I’ll be back.’ ”
Campbell was hitting .550 in his start with Las Vegas. When Wright went down and the need arose, it was a no-brainer who would get the call.
And, Campbell is doing everything he can to prove he belongs here and not in Las Vegas when Wright is activated from the disabled list.
He has reached base in all ten games since joining the Mets on April 15. He’s hit .267 with an .833 OPS, one home run and five RBI. He’s struck out only three times in 40 plate appearances, and two of his five RBI have come via sacrifice flies.
His home run came Saturday afternoon during the Mets 8-2 win over the Yankees with his father in attendance.
“My dad grew up a Yankee fan so he was here and got to see it, so stuff like that means a lot to me,” Campbell said.
When Wright returns, Campbell will likely return to a more suitable role for him, which is to serve as a super-sub off the bench at the Major League level. He can play the outfield, three infield positions, and he could possibly serve as an emergency catcher. The team has sung his praises since he first arrived early last year, specifically citing his versatility as a key asset to the roster.
As he said, that’s his job, and he’s proven he can be a competent fill-in with no sacrifices necessary on the field.
Just Mets 