New York Mets: Now that Robinson Cano is back in, who comes out?
By Ed Stein
Opportunities created
In his absence, some of the other players on the team stepped up to fill the void. Jeff McNeil moved from left field back to second base, however, he spent some time on the IL as well, which led to a career resurgence from Adeiny Hechavarria. Additionally, infielders J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith went to left field for some additional offensive punch in the lineup.
Over the 24 days, Cano was unavailable, Davis put up a slash line of .268/.317/.500/.817. Stats that are better than most expected him to do as he tried to adjust to an unfamiliar position. When new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen traded with Houston in January to acquire Davis, it seemed like a minor depth trade. He has more than proved his value to the team as not only a depth player but a solid contributor when called upon to start.
Meanwhile, Smith continued his breakout season. Starting 10 games in that span (and pinch hitting when he didn’t), Dominic Smith put up all-star caliber numbers, .370/.431/.652/1.084. As a matter of fact, he’s done such a great job of reaching base, manager Mickey Callaway started to bat the 24-year-old first in the order on Sunday, despite the fact, Smith isn’t a very fast runner.
Hechavarria started 2019 in the minors as part of BVW’s plan to stock the Mets Triple-A affiliate with major league ready players, to replace injured ones on the main roster. Since Cano first hit the IL, the seven-year MLB vet has hit .276 almost 30 points better than his combined average over the previous three seasons. Additionally, he has taken his game up another notch clutch situations.