Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The New York Mets have made a series of roster moves, with highly-rated prospect Ronny Mauricio very much the headline-grabber.

The Mets announced on Saturday that they have optioned both Mauricio and LHP Joey Lucchesi to Triple-A. The Mets have also reassigned OF Abraham Almonte and OF Jaylin Davis to minor league camp.

Mets fans will no doubt be disappointed that Mauricio has been optioned to Triple-A, although it shouldn’t come as a surprise. As things stand, there’s no clear pathway to the Major Leagues for the prospect shortstop just yet. With that being said, Mauricio was hugely-impressive in spring training. He slashed .242/.286/.636/.922 with four homers and eight RBIs. He displayed his pure power at the plate and will now begin the 2023 season at Triple-A.

So too will Lucchesi, who was also optioned on Saturday. The lefty pitched just two innings in spring training, posting an 18.00 ERA with four earned runs on four hits and three walks. It is important to note, however, that Lucchesi is still working his way back from Tommy John Surgery after missing half of the 2021 season and all of 2022. Given that Tylor Megill and David Peterson are ahead of him on the depth chart, it makes sense for Lucchesi to begin the year in Triple-A, get some innings under his belt and be in a position to be ready if and when a call-up to the majors comes.

As for the other moves made on Saturday, it is no surprise that both Almonte and Davis have been reassigned to minor league camp. After all, they are way down the depth chart. Tim Locastro is ahead of both of them having enjoyed a stellar spring so far, as is veteran Tommy Pham.

Almonte did have a good spring himself having hit .500/.650/.643 with two doubles and three RBIs. However, it is worth noting that Almonte is currently dealing with a hamstring issues and that may have hurt his chances of sticking around. Davis, who was signed to a minor league deal by the Mets prior to the first game of spring training, has slashed .273/.333/.500 with one homer, two doubles and one RBI in spring. Both Almonte and Davis are useful depth options to have within the organization. And, if Brandon Nimmo‘s status extends past week-to-week, then we could see a call-up for either Almonte or Davis in the not-too-distant future.