Luis Guillorme. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Luis Guillorme was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse on May 17, when the New York Mets elected to promote 23-year-0ld Mark Vientos. A little more than three weeks later, he [Guillorme] returned to the big leagues when Pete Alonso landed on the injured list. The infielder has only made three starts since, but Saturday’s 5-3 loss against the St. Louis Cardinals was certainly his best.
He stepped in for Francisco Lindor at shortstop, who was out of the Mets’ lineup after the birth of his daughter. Guillorme, who has always been known for his remarkable defense, made an individual mistake in the top of the fifth inning. Cardinals’ catcher Willson Contreras hit a ground ball to the left side, and the 28-year-old let the ball go through his legs. That error did not result in a run for St. Louis, although Kodai Senga was forced to throw more pitches.
Guillorme made up for that in the bottom half of the inning, hitting a two-run home run to right center field off future Hall-of-Famer Adam Wainwright. His first home run in 11 months pulled the Mets within one at 4-3.
That score remained when he stepped into the batters box in the bottom of the seventh. Guillorme did more damage against Wainwright, lining a double down the left field line.
“It felt great just being able to contribute. Been working hard at it. The results haven’t been there like I want them to be, so today was great — at least on the offensive side of it, Guillorme said.
He would finish the day going 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, taking his batting average to .240 for the season. With Lindor expected to return for Sunday’s series finale, it is unlikely that Guillorme will be in the lineup for the second-straight game. While he may return to the bench, his at-bats against Wainwright and the Cardinals could result in more opportunities moving forward.
