Due to the New York Mets having Francisco Lindor as their short and long-term shortstop, their top prospects need to find playing time at other positions if they are going to carve out a consistent role in the big leagues. This spring, manager Carlos Mendoza plans to provide those opportunities to Jett Williams and Luisangel Acuña.

On Friday, Mendoza told reporters that both players will still earn reps at shortstop while Williams will spend some time in center field and Acuña will receive looks at second base.

Williams is familiar with center field as he appeared in 21 games at the position across Low-A St. Lucie, High-A Brooklyn, and Double-A Binghamton last season. He did not make an error during his time there and recorded two outfield assists.

Williams will also try his hand at second base according to Tim Healey of Newsday, though he likely won’t appear in any games at the position during spring training and instead will hold off on that endeavor until the minor league season commences.

It is safe to say the Mets want to get Williams’ bat in the lineup anyway they can with his plate discipline (104 walks in 121 games last year), his speed (45-for-52 on stolen bases), and his emerging power (13 home runs). His personal goals follow that line of thinking as well, stating that he is open to playing any position as long as it helps him reach the major leagues.

“If they want to put me at third, short, second, center, left,” Williams said. “I’ll play anything as long as I’m in the big leagues the fastest.”

As for Acuña, he will look to build on his prior experience at second base this spring after appearing at the position in 12 of his 37 games for Binghamton in 2023. He’s still relatively new to that role after appearing in only six games there as a member of the Rangers’ organization last season before ultimately being dealt for Max Scherzer at the trade deadline.

Acuña, who turns 22 on Mar. 12 this year, had a slash line of .243/.317/.304 to go with two home runs, 12 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases after joining the Mets’ organization. Unlike Williams, he will enter spring training as a member of the 40-man roster.

Both Williams and Acuña will be under the watchful eye of many Mets fans in spring training as well as the Mets’ brass to see if they can flourish at these different positions. The quicker they catch on, the sooner it could get them to Queens if they can continue to trend upward in their development.