Going into 2017, the Mets infield is relatively set. Lucas Duda will be at first base, Neil Walker will be at second, David Wright at third, and Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop. The Mets are gearing up to have a strong infield bench as well, having weapons such as Wilmer Flores and T.J. Rivera who can play virtually any infield position.
Jose Reyes, though, was such a spark plug for the Mets last season at age 33 that it wouldn’t be wise for him to have merely a bench role.
David Wright is coming off surgery to repair a herniated disc in his neck as well as dealing with spinal stenosis and will not be able to play every day for the Mets. He will most likely start against all left-handed starters, as he has a .337 career batting average against them.
If Wright were to have a day off against a righty, Reyes would surely play third base in his stead. If Wright were to have a day off against a lefty, though, Wilmer Flores would most likely start at third base due to his impressive splits against left-handed pitching.
If Asdrubal Cabrera needs a day off, Jose Reyes would be a solid replacement for him at shortstop. If Cabrera sat against a lefty, Collins might choose to start Flores at short. It depends on the matchup, though, as Reyes is clearly the superior defender. If Terry wanted to sacrifice some defense in order to have a more powerful lineup, starting Flores would be the way to go.
The same general principles apply at second base with Neil Walker. However, at second base, Reyes and Flores are more even defensively. Flores has much more experience, and Reyes hasn’t played there since 2004 when Kazuo Matsui (remember him?) was a Met.
So, to recap, Jose Reyes will definitely see time at shortstop and second base in 2017, but the bulk of his playing time will come at the hot corner when David Wright needs a day off. He is also very valuable off the bench because of his speed/stealing ability and the fact that he is a switch-hitter.
In 60 games with the Mets in 2016, Reyes slashed .267/.326/.443 with eight home runs, four triples, nine stolen bases, and 24 RBI.
