Mets will have to manage crowded outfield once Cespedes returns
By Paul Myron
The Mets are set to get Yoenis Cespedes back in the lineup, which is going to cause quite a logjam in an already crowded outfield.
The New York Mets have been without All-Star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes since April 27. The Mets are a disappointing 10-11 in Cespedes’ absence, and while most of that is attributed to bad pitching during that span, New York will certainly benefit from his return.
Cespedes is set to return probably within a week. His reintroduction into the lineup is going to create a crowded Mets outfield, as the team will have to find playing time for fellow outfielders Michael Conforto, Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson.
Conforto, who was not an everyday player when the season began, has become the Mets best offensive weapon. The 24-year-old is hitting .320/.412/.664 on the season and is having success against both lefties and righties, something he has not shown in the past. There is no chance the Mets will take his bat out of the lineup once Cespedes returns.
The seemingly obvious answer is likely that Granderson will become a virtual bench player when Cespedes comes back. Granderson is having a disappointing season, slashing just .169/.237/.338 this season with four homers and 15 RBIs.
However, simply benching Granderson may not be the Mets’ best choice. Granderson has been showing signs of improvement at the plate. He has a .955 OPS over his last 10 games. He’s also hit half of his season’s home run total in that span.
Jay Bruce got off to a very hot start this season, but has since cooled off. He’s still tied for the team lead in homers (11) and leads the Mets in RBI (30), but he’s hitting just .191 in May while his season average has dipped to .248.
There’s also another player to consider in this outfield mess — and he’s not even an outfielder. First baseman Lucas Duda has struggled this year, hitting .154 since returning from the disabled list on May 12.
In Duda’s absence, Bruce played some first base, and while it wasn’t the smoothest transition, he got the job done. It’s not ideal for Bruce to play there everyday, but certainly a few starts a week at first should not be much of a problem.
Granderson, Duda, and Bruce all being lefties does make things trickier, but not impossible. Bruce’s ability to play first really opens up the Mets’ options upon Cespedes’ return. It’s not a debate that Cespedes and Conforto should play everyday. However, I also don’t believe the solution is to reduce Bruce’s playing time much or simply stash Granderson on the bench.
Bruce should probably be starting, at minimum, four out of every five games. Granderson should also get at least a couple starts per week. The general formula should be having Duda and Bruce split time at first while having Granderson play right field the days that Bruce is in the infield. Occasionally, Granderson can spell Bruce when he needs a day off or vice versa.
Next: Top 25 MLB batting seasons of all time
This plan ensures that each player will be getting their deserved amount of playing time, while also taking some pressure off the struggling Duda. It could also create a mini-competition and possibly motivate each player to earn playing time.
Cespedes’ return is undoubtedly going to create a crowding problem on the team. For manager Terry Collins, though, it should be seen as a good problem to have.