Mets' Ronny Mauricio continues to dominate in minor leagues

The 24-year-old is still recovering from a devastating knee injury during a winter ball game in December 2023 that put him out of the 2024 season. Before the injury, Mauricio started 26 games for the big league club, slashing .248/.296/.347 with two home runs.

The Mets reinstated Mauricio from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A in mid-May, intending to keep him there until there is a need on the Major League roster. At the time, David Stearns was clear about the team's desire to play it safe and bring him along slowly, but the young infielder isn't making it easy to keep him down in the minors.

Mauricio is a versatile defensive player with the ability to play all over the infield; he has started at both second and third base for Syracuse, but has also played 26 games in left field throughout his minor league career. New York's infield is full of young talent between Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Luisangel Acuña, and established vets like Francisco Lindor and Jeff McNeil, so Mauricio's path to extended playing time may be somewhere in the outfield.

ACL surgery often requires a lengthy adjustment period on top of the already extensive recovery; for Syracuse, Mauricio has been on a two-days-on, one-day-off schedule. It's not uncommon for a team to want to see their rehabbing player produce consistently against live pitching in the minors before calling him up, which is something that Stearns spoke about after Mauricio's reinstatement.

“He’s a healthy player," Stearns said. "But to get back to that true baseball shape, ready to compete at a high level in the big leagues, I think we still have a little bit of a ways to go.”

The hope is that the young prospect will have a long career with the Mets, so it's smart to prioritize his long-term health over a potential immediate impact. Still, with Mauricio's recent play, combined with his tremendous upside, it's fair to wonder what else it would take to see him brought back up to Queens.