Mets’ Carlos Mendoza gets honest about Ronny Mauricio

Nearly a week to go until the end of the regular season, Ronny Mauricio has started to become the forgotten man for the New York Mets.

With both Brett Baty and Mark Vientos establishing themselves as everyday players for New York over the last several weeks, Mauricio's name has not been penciled in the everyday lineup, which has certainly led to people wondering if the star infielder has a future on this team.

And as Mauricio sits out again on Wednesday as the Mets play the second game of their three-game series against the San Diego Padres, manager Carlos Mendoza was honest about the lack of playing time for the 24-year-old.

Mendoza met with reporters before tonight's game and credited Mauricio for "staying ready" on the bench despite having just four at-bats this month.

"He's in a tough spot and it's a tough spot for me too," Mendoza said. "Where we're at for the past six weeks or so, you got a guy like Brett Baty, you got a guy like Mark Vientos, Jeff McNeil, Starling Marte, it's hard to find playing time for Mauricio. Credit to him, he's the first guy out there, doing extra work, doing extra hitting, taking ground balls, he's staying ready."

"We gave him a couple of pinch-hit at-bats...not an easy situation for a young player, but the way he's handled it, he's been a complete pro," Mendoza added. "But again, this is where we're at, he understands. I try to be open and communicate as much as possible, but his job is to continue to stay ready and when his name is called, he'll be ready to go."