Khalil Lee, Photo by James Farrance
The New York Mets have been hit been hit really hard with injuries over the last couple of weeks and now they have to dip into the farm to deal with their latest loss, as Albert Almora Jr. hits the injured list.
Almora crashed into the wall trying to make an outstanding catch last night and he has now been placed on the IL with what has been listed as a shoulder bruise. In his place, the Mets are calling up one of their top prospects in outfielder Khalil Lee.
The Mets acquired Lee this offseason as part of a three-team trade that sent Andrew Benintendi from the Boston Red Sox to the Kansas City Royals. New York sent pitching prospect Josh Winckowski, who they acquired in the Steven Matz trade, to the Red Sox in exchange for Lee.
According to MLB.com, Lee is the Mets No. 7 prospect, as the speedy 22-year-old brings a lot to the table. Lee began this season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he went 4-for-16, with five walks, a double, three runs, two RBIs and one stolen base.
Like any stolen base threat, it is vitally important to Lee’s game that he can get on base at a high clip, which is why his .478 OBP to start the season is very encouraging.
Last year, Lee played 129 games in Double-A for the Royals and hit .264/.363/.372, with a career-high 53 stolen bases and 74 runs scored.
While it is very exciting to see Lee at the big league level, this a move made more out of necessity rather than one based on his performance warranting a promotion. The Mets surely want Lee to get more seasoning at Triple-A this season, but since he was the only option on the 40-man roster that could replace Almora, the choice was made for them.
This stint at the big league level could be short-lived for Lee, as Brandon Nimmo could return off the injured list on Friday.
