Luisangel Acuña’s first MLB hit was mirror-image of his brother, Ronald’s

No team in MLB has been hotter than the New York Mets. They had won 11 of their last 13 games entering Friday's series opener against the NL East-leading Philadelphia Phillies, and promptly blew them out, taking the series opener by a final score of 11-3.

As exciting as that win was for New York, they were dealt a frustrating blow as star shortstop Francisco Lindor suffered a back injury forcing him to leave the game prematurely. The injury is minor, thankfully, but it was enough to cause him to sit out his first game of the year in a game that the Mets desperately needed in a tight postseason race.

Replacing Lindor at shortstop was not the player who filled in for him late last night, Jose Iglesias. Instead, New York called upon Ronald Acuña Jr.'s brother, Luisangel, who started at shortstop and batted ninth in his MLB debut.

There was a possibility that the Mets were going to promote Acuña, their No. 12 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, when rosters expanded on September 1, but the Mets chose to go in another direction.

With the team in need of more infield depth, they were reportedly planning on promoting Acuña even before Lindor's injury, but the injury gave them even more of a reason to see what the 22-year-old could do at the MLB level.

In his first MLB game, Luisangel was quick to make an impact, and his first hit looked awfully familiar.

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Luisangel Acuña's first MLB hit looked exactly like that of his brother, Ronald

Luisangel dribbled a single up the middle for his first MLB hit. Ronald's first hit was, you guessed it, a single grounded up the middle. It's uncanny how identical these hits actually look.

Luisangel is an intriguing prospect, but he's nothing like Ronald, the reigning NL MVP winner. Luisangel has a ton of speed, good base-stealing ability, and strong defensive versatility, but he does not have the 40-home run power that Ronald does that makes him so special. Still, Luisangel can prove to be a valuable contributor down the stretch and in the future for New York with his legs and glove.

His bat lagged behind in the minors this season, but Acuña showed some potential in his MLB debut in that regard. He was able to tack on another single, going 2-for-4 in his MLB debut in a frustrating Mets loss.

The Mets certainly hope that they can get Lindor, a bonafide NL MVP candidate, back in time for Sunday's series finale against the Phillies, but having another infielder in the mix can give them a little bit of comfort even if he isn't quite his older brother.