The Mets are playing short once again on Thursday night against the Giants, thanks in part to Kevin Plawecki being unavailable.
The short bench leaves Terry Collins thin with options in the event of an injury, but the Mets have an emergency backup plan, just in case.
Collins said on Thursday the club would consider using Michael Cuddyer on the infield if a need arises, noting Cuddyer has played second base in a postseason game in his career.
Collins acknowledged Cuddyer’s apprehension towards playing on the infield because that’s where he got hurt last year, but is confident Cuddyer would do it if needed without hesitation.
Cuddyer has not played second base in a regular season game since 2011. He played three games at third base while with Colorado in 2014, but injured his shoulder at the position, which is part of his apprehension for playing that position.
Collins also said he could potentially use Anthony Recker at third base if Eric Campbell gets hurt or they need to shift Campbell to another position.
The Mets optioned Daniel Muno to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier this week, leaving the team with no natural backup infielder on the roster. That and Plawecki’s unavailability greatly limit the manager’s flexibility late in games.
The problem is, now that Muno has been optioned, he can’t be returned to the big leagues for ten days unless he serves as an injury replacement. Aside from Wilfredo Tovar, there’s no other infielder on the 40-man roster to come and serve as a backup infielder while Ruben Tejada is on paternity leave.
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