Fernando Tatis has been a godsend for the Mets from the moment he first arrived.

Last season, Fernando Tatis had one of the highest batting averages on the Mets with runners in scoring position at .392. He batted .375 with the bases loaded, and .357 with runners on base.

By driving in 47 runs and slugging 11 homers in just 273 at-bats last season, he was awarded with the Comeback Player of the Year award.

To me, one of the best off season offense related signings, was the re-signing of Fernando Tatis who was expected to get plenty of action according Omar Minaya at the time of the announcement.

So now, almost two weeks into the season, Fernando Tatis has just three at-bats… Three!

Tatis batted .311 against lefties and even an impressive .287 against righties, but that’s not enough to get him into our offense. At a time when the Mets are desperate for a clutch hit, their best option is riding the pine.

I’m not going to get on Jerry Manuel so much on this because his heart is in the right place, but did we really need Gary Sheffield to take what few at-bats Tatis was going to get this year?

Eventually, the Mets will come to realize once again, the kind of weapon they have in Tatis. Hopefully by then, it won’t be too late.