Mets: 1 prospect to call up, 1 veteran to demote
By John Buhler
The New York Mets may need to make a change to improve their lineup internally here soon.
Faced with massive expectations under new owner Steven Cohen, the New York Mets find themselves as a middling team in the not-so-great NL East this season.
The Mets are only a .500 team through their first 26 games of the 2021 MLB season. While that is good enough for second place in the NL East, keep in mind that the two teams who qualified for the postseason a year ago out of the division have not played particularly well yet in the Atlanta Braves and the Miami Marlins. New York has to take advantage of their rival teams being down.
What player can the Mets call up and who should they send down to take control of their season?
New York Mets: 1 top prospect to call up before it is too late
OF. 24. player. Khalil Lee. 3. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. New York Mets
Khalil Lee could provide the spark the Mets are missing in the outfield
If any Minor Leaguer is slated to get the call up to the big leagues here soon in the Mets organization, it has to be outfielder Khalil Lee. The left-handed outfielder had been a third-round pick by the Kansas City Royals organization in the 2016 MLB Amateur Draft out of high school. He is in his first season in the Mets organization, beginning the year with Triple-A affiliate Syracuse.
Lee is the Mets’ No. 7 overall prospect, but the top prospect who is not at Single-A or rookie ball right now. Though he has gotten off to a slow start at the plate in Syracuse, he offers above-average skills on the base path, in the outfield with his glove and has a little bit of power in his bat, too. The soon-to-be 23-year-old will be making his big league debut in the coming days or weeks.
New York could really use some spark in its lineup. While the Mets have plenty of talented players scattered throughout the baseball diamond, they could use his foot speed, defensive prowess and pop at the plate for their last outfield spot. Simply put, the Mets got him from the Royals organization because they believe Lee can help them win now, which is what they should do.