TODAY: The move is now official, which further sets the stage for an exciting early-season tilt between the Mets and Nationals. Conforto will play center and take the leadoff spot in the lineup.
YESTERDAY, 5:25pm: The Mets will activate Conforto before tomorrow’s game against the Nationals, Puma tweets. Infielder Philip Evans is being optioned out to create a spot on the active roster.
10:12am: The Mets will bring outfielder Michael Conforto on their forthcoming road trip to Washington, D.C., Mike Puma of the New York Post reports on Twitter. While the precise plans aren’t yet clear, it seems likely that Conforto will be activated from the DL tomorrow, Puma notes.
This is the latest good news for a Mets organization that came into the 2017-18 offseason with numerous health questions. By and large, the uncertainties have resolved to this point in a positive manner, significantly improving the club’s outlook for the new season and beyond.
Conforto had suffered a worrying shoulder injury late in the 2017 campaign, undergoing surgery to repair a torn capsule. That procedure came with a roughly six-month recovery timeline, so in that regard it’s not altogether surprising that he is returning now. But the fact that he’s already geared up to spend almost all of the season in the majors surely represents the best-case scenario for an important young player.
Even as the Mets stumbled in 2017, Conforto turned in a monster year at the plate, slashing .279/.384/.555 and driving 27 balls out of the park in 440 plate appearances. Then came the news that the 25-year-old would join several other core players on the DL with significant injuries, clouding the team’s near-term outlook.
If Conforto can produce at anything approaching that level, he’ll return to a roster that increasingly seems primed to contend. The Mets signed multiple veteran pieces over the winter, bringing in outfielder Jay Bruce, third baseman Todd Frazier, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, infielder Jose Reyes, starter Jason Vargas, and reliever Anthony Swarzak. With the club’s high-end rotation generally showing promise this spring, there’s generally cause for optimism in Queens.
It’ll be interesting to see how the return of Conforto changes the team’s position-player rotation, which is now full of options. He joins Bruce and center fielder Brandon Nimmo as left-handed-hitting outfielders. Yoenis Cespedes will continue to get the bulk of the time in left, while Juan Lagares will presumably mostly see action against southpaws and in late-game situations. Though Bruce could in theory appear at first base to help alleviate the outfield logjam, Gonzalez also hits from the left side and is already accompanied by a right-handed bat in utilityman Wilmer Flores.
Just please have someone else carry his luggage.
Ha!
Just please stay healthy (everyone else)
2017 Mets were a pun for injuries, it made you appreciate your team staying good health, most of the season more.
And I’m not even a Mets’ fan. Nobody deserves that much DL in a season.
Time for Lagares to go.
He needs to hit for a while to be traceable…
*tradeable
Does Lagares have an option remaining? Is that uhh…. an option? (Sorry)
He’s making $6.5M this year. Kinda doubt the Mets are planning on paying that much to a minor leaguer. Nimmo will be sent down before Lagares.
I agree. In fact, if Nimmo isn’t going to be starting at least a couple of games a week, he’d be better served going to AAA to get regular at bats.
Plus, Lagares has more value as a 4th OF than Nimmo does, due to his value as a defensive sub later in the game.
He’d be better served being traded. Mets need to play him or move on. He’s got nothing left to do in the minors.
They are paying him 6.5 million dollars whether he’s in the minor leagues or not. There’s no reasonable basis for factoring that into the consideration.
Reasonable or not, salary is always a factor.
It doesn’t matter what he is making. The Mets have to pay for it anyway, whether he is in AAA, starting in CF or playing for the WhiteSox. There is no reason to pay for it TWICE by having a minor league level player on the bench. If they are serious about winning, then Nimmo has to play.
The only way it would work is moving Bruce to 1st JUST few times a week. Adrian Gonzalez is solid but in no way is he an everyday 1B at this point. I don’t understand why not getting Bruce 1-3ish starts a week @1B…Than Conforto and Nimmo could also be in on those days. Calloway and or Bruce seem to be against the idea from what I’ve read.
It will be Evans that is sent down
Gonna snow in DC this weekend. Nobody temps fate like the Metsies.
Would another few days in sunny FL hurt him ??
Pretty sure, if it snows, Conforto won’t be the one shoveling it…
Ha!
He had a solid year last year, but monster year? Please.
Since every Mario Mendoza is described as having “slashed”, it seems appropriate to call Conforto’s season as “Monster.”
Since that sentence was describing his slash line, I’ll point out that his .939 OPS would have ranked 11th in all of MLB if he had enough PA to qualify. That’s more than solid.
I don’t know before he got hurt 27 homers in 440 plate appearances is pretty monster… a leadoff man gets 700ish, that’s a near 45 homer clip, .384 OBP has to be top 5ish in the league. That’s is the definition of a monster season I’d say, especially for a 24 year old.
“sets the stage for an exciting early-season tilt between the Mets and Nationals”
Well, someone is easily entertained. Nationals vs. the Yankees would be interesting. Watching the Mets with or without Conforto is a chore. Now the Mets have two position talents instead of one.
A lineup is eight guys, not two.
the Mets are batting a combined .271 batting average, with an OPS of .771. what are you talking about