Sep 19, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets shortstop Luisangel Acuña (2) at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

New York Mets' Luisangel Acuña settling into big league role

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Ezra Lombardi | Last updated May 7, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The New York Mets began the season with a dilemma at second base.

When veteran second baseman Jeff McNeil went down with an oblique injury in early March, the job opened up for young infielders Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña to start the year. While Baty put together a stellar spring, Acuña struggled. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor even explained Acuña's attitude toward spring games as "bored."

Perhaps Lindor's assessment was accurate because once the regular season came around, it was Acuña who eventually pulled away with the job, while Baty was eventually sent down to the minors upon McNeil's return. The 23-year-old's play was awarded the National League Rookie of the Month for April and is making a case to be an everyday starter in the Mets' infield.

Acuña currently boasts a .298 average and a .362 on-base percentage with 14 runs in his 84 plate appearances. His tremendous speed and natural instincts make Acuña a dangerous base runner with eight stolen bases thus far; his defensive versatility also allows him to be a utility option at second base, shortstop, third base, or even center field.

Luisangel Acuña makes an incredible play charging in at third base wow
pic.twitter.com/mFozbmv7J1
— Mets'd Up Podcast (@MetsdUp) May 4, 2025

SNY's Steve Gelbs spoke about Acuña's development this season compared to last season, claiming that at most points last year, Acuña's future with the organization looked bleak. "He wasn't really developing at the rate that they wanted him to, and there were a lot of questions about whether or not he was gonna be able to make that jump," Gelbs said.

.@ConnorJRogers and @SteveGelbs discuss Luisangel Acuña's approach at the plate and his relationship with Carlos Mendoza on The Mets Pod:

➡️ Tri-State @Cadillac pic.twitter.com/To6V7HV8re
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) May 7, 2025

However, Acuña appears to have taken the next step in his young career, proving the "feeling" that Carlos Mendoza had about his prospect correct. He'll look to maintain discipline and consistency at the plate to further solidify his role in the organization.

Acuña will start at second base in New York's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks while McNeil will play left field. Given the dwindling health in the outfield, Acuña's emergence, and Baty's return to the big league roster, we could see this arrangement more often; McNeil is batting just .219 in his 32 plate appearances since returning. While it's a small sample size, the Mets could favor Acuña's potential over McNeil's experience in the infield going forward.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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