Dilson Herrera has started in all four games since being activated from the disabled list, and has begun to show the electricity he has been billed to have throughout his minor league career.
Herrera has hit in three straight contests and has gone 4-for-13 with a double, home run, RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in his past four games.
Daniel Murphy is expected to come off the disabled list when eligible this Saturday when the Mets are in Atlanta, but he will not be resuming his duties at second base when he returns, Terry Collins hinted after his club’s 10-8 win over the Braves on Sunday.
Rather, he will shift to second base with Herrera staying at second base to pair with Wilmer Flores as the clubs double play combination.
“Right now, I would have to say if Dan Murphy came back tomorrow, it would be pretty hard to take Dilson Herrera out of your lineup,” Collins said. “That’s why we’re lucky we have him. He’s making a name for himself.”
Herrera may still need some more polish, but he’s clearly beginning to come into his own and the Mets really need his athleticism and speed in this lineup. He adds a different element to this club, something just didn’t have even with their Opening Day lineup fully healthy. He profiles more as a top-of-the-order presence, but he has shown to be a very capable middle-of-the-order guy with a lot of pop in the minor leagues. He’s the kind of player clearly capable of being a dynamic force at this level, and there’s no question the offense is just different with both he and Travis d’Arnaud playing everyday.
As for the defense, leaving him at second is a no-brainer. Murphy is a better third baseman than he is second baseman, Herrera is a much better second baseman than Murphy is (and Herrera is still raw) and can’t play anywhere else anyway, and they continue to show reluctance to shift Wilmer Flores away from shortstop who, despite his poor play on Saturday afternoon, has really shown tremendous improvement with defense and has at least been mostly steady over the last four or five weeks there.
It’s funny – four days ago the Mets had about as much instability on the infield as they’ve had in years. With Herrera here and even Ruben Tejada at third, its much more stabilized and with Murphy coming back shortly, things might be even more secure.
With that said, perhaps then the club would consider augmenting the offense in the outfield, an area which has been far less productive for the Mets than the infield.
Just Mets 