Update 2:00 PM August 26th –
The Mets have announced that Neil Walker has been activated from the paternity list with infielder T.J. Rivera being optioned back to the Las Vegas 51s.
Rivera went 0 for 4 in his second stint with the Mets and is now hitting .314/.306/.371 in 36 plate appearances at the big league level.
Original August 25th –
Second baseman Neil Walker will return from paternity leave on Friday, manager Terry Collins confirmed on Friday. Neil and his wife Niki celebrated the birth of their newborn daughter Nova on Tuesday.
Walker, 30, has been raging hot this month, batting .403 with a .448 on-base and .677 slugging while hitting five homers. He’ll rejoin the team as they begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field.
The Mets promoted T.J. Rivera from Triple-A to temporarily replace Walker on the roster, and it’s most likely that he’ll return to Las Vegas once Walker is activated on Friday.
Original Report – Aug 21
Second baseman Neil Walker returned to action on Saturday after missing four games with a sore lower back. He picked up right where he left off going 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the Mets’ 9-5 win over the San Francisco Giants. He also impressed in the field, making two wide ranging diving stops to prevent a couple of base hits with runners on base.
Walker, 30, has been raging hot this month, batting .403 with a .448 on-base and .677 slugging while hitting five homers. His 22 home runs this season are the second-most he’s hit in his career and the third-most by a Mets second baseman in franchise history. Only Edgardo Alfonzo who hit 27 homers in 1999 and 25 home runs in 2000 had more.
A free agent at season’s end, Walker is batting an NL-leading .455 (35-77) with two doubles, one triple, six home runs, 14 RBI and 14 runs scored in his last 19 games dating to July 27. He also has a .488 OBP during that stretch which is fourth in the majors.
Following Sunday’s game, Walker is flying home to be with his wife Niki for the birth of the couple’s first child, a daughter. Doctors are going to induce labor on Monday and then Walker will go on the paternity list until Friday when the Mets take on the Phillies at Citi Field.
Walker will miss the upcoming Cardinals series in St. Louis which begins on Tuesday after a day off on Monday. There’s a good chance we might see T.J. Rivera back for that series, unless the Mets decide to carry an extra reliever for those three games and turn to Wilmer Flores to play second base.
