Ronny Mauricio’s attempt to become more versatile defensively will now include playing third base at Triple-A Syracuse.
The 22-year-old made his first start at third on Tuesday in a game at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Mauricio, a switch-hitter, was bypassed for a call-up to the Mets after the trade deadline.
He has played left field exclusively since July 25, and now will have third base added to his plate.
The plan is for Mauricio to rotate around the infield, with two games a week at second, third and shortstop.
So far this season, Mauricio has started 41 games at second, with 26 starts in left, 25 at short and now one at third.
With Francisco Lindor at shortstop, there’s no room for Mauricio there anytime soon, which is among the reasons the Mets began having him play second base in April.
Left field entered the equation in mid-June.
Third base is in complete flux for the Mets.
They sent Brett Baty, who was in the midst of a lengthy slump at the plate and had been playing some shoddy defense, down to Syracuse.
Mark Vientos started at third in the Mets’ 3-2 loss to the Cubs on Tuesday in Queens, as the team experiments with their options, both for now and for the future.
Starling Marte was checked out Tuesday by the doctor who performed core surgery on the outfielder in the offseason, and he received an injection in his right groin. He’s expected to return to light activity in the next few days, the team announced.
Marte is in the midst of a woeful season. After he finished last year with an OPS of .814 in his first season with the Mets, he has just a .625 OPS in 2023.
“We’re hoping it takes away some of the discomfort he’s had and he’s not thinking about it,’’ manager Buck Showalter said. “There were periods [this season] where it looked like he would get going and then he’d take a step back. Hopefully, most of it is physical. I think it was.”
Not only has Marte been bothered by the aftereffects of the surgery, but also he has spent time on the injured list due to migraines.
Marte’s absence is among the reasons the Mets have had to move things around in the outfield as much as they have.
On Tuesday, DJ Stewart was scratched with a sore wrist, replaced by Abraham Almonte, who went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Almonte, 34, was called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Monday after he hit well in the minors. He played 15 games for the Red Sox last season.
Showalter said Almonte “was the best option down [in the minors]. Everyone likes him as a left-handed hitter. He did some good things in the spring.”
He had some success coming off the bench for Atlanta in 2021.
Tim Locastro, sidelined since April after spraining his thumb, had his rehab assignment moved to Syracuse on Tuesday.
The start of the game was delayed due to an issue with the PitchCom.
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