New York Mets urged to address this position of need ahead of trade deadline

The New York Mets are returning to Citi Field on Tuesday to begin a six-game homestand riding high.

After splitting their four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and sweeping their three-game series against the lowly Colorado Rockies, New York's 5-2 road trip has them 17 games over .500 for the first time this season and in first place in the NL East over the Philadelphia Phillies.

For a team with championship aspirations, especially after coming within two games of reaching their first Fall Classic in nearly 10 years, the Mets would almost certainly look to bolster their roster ahead of the trade deadline. While this may not be a dire need for the Mets, they are urged to address this position on their ballclub.

In a June 10 article for ESPN, Bradford Doolittle views center field as a position the Amazins' should address even before the trade deadline approaches.

"When the Mets acquired Jose Siri during the offseason, it seemed likely that Siri was a stopgap solution while New York waited on some of its outfield prospects to mature," Doolittle wrote. "Tyrone Taylor has logged the most time in center, but he's best suited for a complementary role. Among the prospects, Drew Gilbert is in Triple-A, but hasn't hit there so far. Thus, center is an obvious position of need for New York, which seems like a great landing spot for Luis Robert Jr."

As Doolittle alluded, the Mets entered this season with two reliable outfielders to patrol center field, Tyrone Taylor and Jose Siri. However, Siri's left tibia fracture on April 12 has resulted in Taylor getting the bulk of the playing time in center field. While Taylor has stepped up nicely during Siri's absence by recording five outfield assists this year, he has yet to find consistency on offense this season, slashing just .233/.299/.330 with just one home run and 11 RBI.