Ronald Acuña Jr. has reason to be thrilled with Mets NLCS roster decision
As the New York Mets get set to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday night, Carlos Mendoza and Co. have finalized their 26-man roster for the series. There are plenty of noteworthy takeaways: Jeff McNeil's return from injury, for starters, and the decision to leave off veteran reliever Adam Ottavino. There's also one player in particular who figures to make one of the Mets' arch rivals very happy.
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Mets keep Luisangel Acuña on NLCS roster vs. Dodgers
New York will keep young infielder Luisangel Acuña on the roster for the NLCS, carrying six infielders. If that name sounds familiar, the answer is yes: He is, in fact, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., whom the Mets acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Max Scherzer deal at last year's trade deadline.
Our roster for the NLCS. #LGM pic.twitter.com/asd1PIlSuj
— x - New York Mets (@Mets) October 13, 2024
Seeing the younger Acuña's name on the roster comes as a bit of a surprise; he plays more or less the same positions as McNeil, who was assumed to be taking his spot upon his return from injury. But New York opted to carry only 12 pitchers, allowing them to take an extra hitter — in this case Acuña, who gives Mendoza a left-handed alternative to shortstop Jose Iglesias against the Dodgers' righty-heavy pitching staff. The 22-year-old, a top-100 prospect entering the season, hit .308 after a September call-up to New York, and has appeared in six of New York's seven postseason games to date as a defensive replacement.
He's also taken some A-grade trolling from his older brother, who hasn't missed an opportunity to tweak a rival — even if it comes at the expensive of his younger sibling. Now that Luisangel will be sticking around Queens for at least one more series, we can't wait to see what Ronald has cooked up next.
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