It has been a very weird season for Kirk Nieuwenhuis.
Originally slated to be the club’s primary left-handed bat off the bench, Nieuwenhuis went 3-for-38 with 17 strikeouts before the Mets designated him or assignment on June 9.
A week later, he found himself being traded – or sold – to the Los Angeles Angels. But after going just 3-for-22 with the Angels, they sent him packing.
Before he knew it, he was on his way back to the Mets as they put in a waiver claim for him and outrighted him to Triple-A Las Vegas.
Nieuwenhuis was again a minor leaguer. And as of late, he hadn’t been a good one, going 2-for-his-last-22 through Sunday with the Las Vegas 51s.
But the Mets had yet another slumping left-handed hitter on their bench in Darrell Ceciliani who was just 2-for-his-last-27 with 13 strikeouts in his last 16 games.
The Mets decided before Monday’s game to option Ceciliani. Enter again, Nieuwenhuis.
“I guess if you were to tell me this was going to happen during the spring, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Nieuwenhuis said before Monday’s game.
“He went down and swung the bat kind of like the way he knew he would after getting some consistent at-bats,” Terry Collins said early Monday. “So, we’re going to get him in there tonight and hopefully he can give us some offense.”
And bring the offense, he did.
Nieuwenhuis had a total of six hits in 60 at-bats between the Mets and Angels coming into play on Monday. But his seventh hit of the year was unquestionably his biggest hit of the season.
With Michael Cuddyer on first in the ninth inning, Nieuwenhuis laced a double into right field, sending Cuddyer first to third and setting Johnny Monell up to drive in the go-ahead run. Nieuwenhuis would be plated on Monell’s double as well.
But it was that hit which capped a very successful return to the Mets for the Mets outfielder. He reached base in two other plate appearances via a walk and didn’t strikeout.
The Mets know what they have in Nieuwenhuis. But part of why they brought him here was because short of Michael Conforto (who really wasn’t an option), the Mets were out of left-handed bats to choose from for their bench. Collins and the front office were hoping they could catch a little lightening in a bottle and jolt the outfield offense a bit with Nieuwenhuis with this move.
For one night anyway, they did.
Whether Nieuwenhuis falls back into one of his typical dazes at the plate is anyone’s guess. He could find himself designated for assignment again if that happens, at which point the Mets may bring back Ceciliani, or acquire another bat altogether. Time will tell.
But it’s nights like Monday which is what the Mets were counting on when they elected to take him north on Opening Day.
Hopefully he can now be the answer the team speaks for their lackluster bench.
Just Mets 