Updated 1:30 PM
Adam Rubin is reporting that Ruben Tejada is going to get the bulk of playing time at shortstop.
Wilmer Flores may get a start at second base for Daniel Murphy next time the Mets are due to face a lefthander. Flores is in today’s lineup against southpaw Gio Gonzalez.
Said Collins, “I think sometimes when you face adversity we’ll find out what you’re made of. He’s showing us that he’s the same player he was a couple years ago.”
“Got to ride that wave. This guy is really swinging the bat good,” Collins said of Tejada on Wednesday. “This kid has really put his mind to producing.”
Tejada has two hits in his last fifteen plate appearances, and is batting .192 for the season.
Wow…. Just Wow…
Original Post 11:00 AM
While everyone remains focused on Juan Lagares and his diminished playing time, shortstop Wilmer Flores has just eight at-bats since being called up on May 8, ten days ago.
After being proclaimed the Mets starting shortstop upon his promotion, two days later the 22-year old was stricken by a stomach virus along with two other teammates.
He was scratched from the lineup and was replaced at shortstop by Ruben Tejada, who has remained at the position ever since.
Despite being one of the team’s top offensive prospects, Flores has not appeared in a game in seven days, last playing on May 10.
Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe times have changed, but top prospects don’t usually get promoted to serve in a bench role with very limited playing time.
Please send him back to Las Vegas and let him continue to develop if the organizational choice for shortstop is Ruben Tejada.
Good teams do not treat their best prospects this way and it wreaks of more bad decision-making by the Mets.
Yesterday, Collins said he benched Lagares because he wanted to forego defense in exchange for more offense. So why has Flores been relegated to the bench?
Tejada has two hits in his last fifteen plate appearances, and is batting .192 for the season.
