Just Mets

The Mets are faced with a good problem behind the plate.

Travis d’Arnaud has begun to establish himself as a fixture behind the plate for the Mets, and they posses one of the finest catching prospects in Kevin Plawecki behind him, who has done an outstanding job filling in for d’Arnaud while he heals from a broken hand.

In the process, Plawecki has proven he’s probably an everyday catcher in the big leagues. In 12 games during d’Arnaud’s absence, Plawecki has hit .256 with three doubles, a home run and six RBI in 43 plate appearances. He is currently enjoying a six-game hitting streak, during which he’s hitting .333 with an .840 OPS.

So that begs the question: What are the Mets going to do when d’Arnaud is activated from the disabled list?

Such a decision could still be a couple of weeks off, but one thing is for sure: Neither can effectively continue their growing process if they’re not playing everyday.

As such, it seems likely the Mets will demote Plawecki back to Triple-A so he can play everyday, a club source told Marc Carig of Newsday.

That always seemed to be the most logical conclusion to draw. D’Arnaud has earned the job behind the plate here, his injury not withstanding. However, as is the case with Dilson Herrera at second base, it’s hard to bury a big league player in Plawecki at Triple-A.

There’s been some speculation one of Plawecki or d’Arnaud could eventually transition to a corner outfield spot, but right now, the Mets see neither as anything but catchers. That’s the smart play for the time being, considering they could always look to trade one of them. They play a premium position which could have a lot of value in the market if they choose to move one of them.

Again, the Mets are fortunate to be faced with such a problem at the organizational level, but at some point, one of these back stops will pay a price for the Mets wealth, one way or another.