Yoenis Céspedes: I’ll be Ready for World Series

facebooktwitterreddit

When the fans of the New York Mets saw Yoenis Céspedes in the dugout seemingly in pain and touching his left shoulder during last Wednesday’s Game 4 victory over the Chicago Cubs, they feared the worst. It got worse when he didn’t return to the game due to what was called “shoulder soreness”.

More from New York Mets

Saturday, Mets fans breathed a sigh of relief as news came out from the Mets and Céspedes that he would be available and ready for Tuesday’s Game 1 of the World Series versus the Kansas City Royals. On Friday, Céspedes did receive a cortisone shot in his left shoulder, and luckily for the Mets it appears to have worked. Additionally, the Mets had him not practice in the batting cage on Saturday, and let him focus on strengthening his legs and other muscles during the workout.

On Saturday, in a statement to the New York Daily News, Céspedes made it very clear that regardless of the cortisone injection or not, he would still play on Tuesday and cited his hard road to the majors as a reason for that. “I had to face a lot of adversity to get here but now, getting to the World Series, makes it worth it, 1001 times.”

Yoenis Cespedes has played well in spurts this postseason, but needs to put it together for the World Series. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Additionally, Céspedes said even if he is not all the way back by Tuesday health-wise he does not want to be put in as a DH. “Even if I’m not fully 100%, I would still just want to play (outfield). I don’t like to be the designated hitter. I don’t feel like I’m part of the game, like I truly contributed.”

This postseason, Céspedes has had nine hits, two home runs, one walk, seven RBI’s, and a batting average of .265 in 34 at-bats. He played pretty well offensively versus the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS, but struggled mightily versus the Cubs during the NLCS. However, his huge double and three hits in Game 3 of the NLCS led to two RBI and a run scored helped propel the Mets to victory and take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Céspedes is hoping for a similar performance in the World Series.

Next: Most Impactful Trades From Last 20 Years For Mets

More from Empire Writes Back

Yoenis Cespedes is the last year of his contract and will be a free agent at the end of the season. Despite this, it is good to know that our mid-season acquisition is so pumped and ready to go for the Mets heading into the World Series. Even more encouraging is what he said about a possible future with the Mets on Saturday. “I think of all the teams I’ve been on over the past for years, this is the best team I’ve been a part of.”