BALTIMORE -- When Mets officials made the difficult decision to send infielder Luisangel Acuña back to Triple-A Syracuse in late June, they indicated that he might not stay in the Minors for long.
That is precisely what happened. The Mets on Thursday recalled Acuña from Syracuse, designating outfielder Travis Jankowski for assignment. They envision Acuña filling much the same role he did the first time around -- a late-game defensive substitute and pinch-runner, as well as a part-time starter against mostly left-handed pitching. In addition, Acuña gives the Mets another option in center field, where he played his final two games before the promotion.
“We knew how important he is for this ballclub -- the versatility, the speed,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “There’s a lot of upside there. He was a big part of this team the first couple of months.”
The impetus for sending Acuña down to the Minors in the first place was a desire to get him everyday at-bats. Acuña did just that over the better part of three weeks, batting .289/.346/.378 over 53 plate appearances. Now that Acuña has more than 200 plate appearances over two levels this season, team officials feel more comfortable that his development won’t be stunted, given the irregular playing time he’ll receive in the Majors.
Back with the Mets, Acuña figures to play second and third base, shortstop and center field, mostly at the ends of games.
“He’s got a lot of tools,” Mendoza said. “We feel like he’s going to continue to help us here.”