Yoenis Céspedes will begin what will likely be the final chapter of his Mets career on Friday in a new role: the team’s designated hitter.
The slugger confirmed to the media on Tuesday that the DH will be his initial assignment, though he is just as comfortable and ready to play the outfield.
“The way that I’m feeling right now I can DH, I can play left field. I’m equally as confident to do both,” he said through translator Alan Suriel.
Céspedes played in both exhibition games over the weekend against the Yankees, serving as the DH in the first and playing three innings in left field in the second. He went 0-for-6 and did not receive a chance in the field but the underlying results were positive.
“Despite not getting any hits in those games I felt a lot better than I thought I would feel,” he said.
In his first at-bat on Saturday — and first against another major league team since Jul. 20, 2018 — Céspedes nearly beat out a slow dribbler to third base despite running at no more than 80% capacity.
“That was intentional at the time,” he said. “The trainers have been telling me that as long as I run at about 80% I’m fine. My first reaction out of the box was to go fast but I remembered what they told me so that’s why I kind of slowed down.”
If that’s where Céspedes is at this point, his tenure as a DH might be more than brief. Manager Luis Rojas is nonetheless satisfied by the strides he has made, which has led to him being ready for Friday.
“Right now he’s as strong as you can count on him [to be],” Rojas said Tuesday. “The baserunning part is obviously not how it used to be as far as his speed but he’s been able to run at a competitive speed. His defense is also a progression.”
Céspedes has started 84 career games as a designated hitter, including his time in Oakland, Boston, Detroit, and New York.
