With Jose Reyes back from the disabled list today, expect young Ruben Tejada to go back to a utility role peppered with a couple of spot starts at second base.
On Friday night, Tejada had a great game going 3 for 5 with a double and a run scored in the Mets 6-0 win over the Braves. Since his latest call-up, Tejada is hitting .379 with seven doubles. He has drawn nine walks and stolen two bases.
Tejada is batting .283 this season and has a .370 on-base percentage which ranks second on the team among players with 200 or more at-bats. In 226 at-bats he has 24 RBIs, but what I find impressive is his 30 walks versus 39 strikeouts.
Manager Terry Collins has been raving about Tejada at the plate this month, “I think Ruben in the last month has really done an outstanding job, especially offensively, which is where everybody had some concerns about whether or not he was going to be able to handle it up here.”
Collins has also said that he expects to see Tejada become a dominant hitter as he continues to gain more experience and confidence.
Tejada is obviously a different hitter at the plate from the overmatched 20-year old we saw last season.
I’m looking forward to his continued growth.
