J.D. Davis has been hitting all season in a part-time role for the Mets, similar to the one Wilmer Flores had been serving in for the team from 2015-2018.
With Dominic Smith going on the 10-day IL (stress reaction in his left foot) on July 27, playing time has opened up for Davis in left field.
Since then, Davis is 7-for-18 (.388 average) with one home run, two doubles, and four RBI. Over his last 30 games, Davis has been red hot as well, with a .360/.442/.507 slash line in that span.
While he is certainly a defensive liability in the outfield with -3 DRS and a -2.0 UZR over 248 innings there, Davis certainly does add a significant bat to the lineup.
Given that Smith wasn’t exactly a superb defender in left field either, the Mets certainly cannot hold Davis’ defense in left against him. The other options to take his outfield spot would be Juan Lagares and Aaron Altherr, neither of which the Mets can play every day because of their lack of offensive production.
Despite the fact that Davis was doing well in a part-time role earlier in the season, he actually is significantly better with increased starting opportunities, with a .307/.371/.477 slash line in 57 games in which he started as compared to a .242/.342/.485 slash line in 34 games where he came off the bench.
Combined, he is hitting .299/.367/.478 with 10 home runs and 30 RBI to give himself a 127 wRC+ and 1.3 fWAR on the season.
The 26-year-old might have cost the Mets some decent prospects in Luis Santana, Ross Adolph, and Scott Manea, but the fact is that Davis has been a significant contributor and one the Mets would struggle mightily without.
With Smith set to be on the shelf until the August and Brandon Nimmo not playing in rehab games yet, the left field job appears to be Davis’ to lose until further notice.
Given his recent production, that might be for the best.
