Ronny Mauricio could force call-up to Mets soon amid torrid start

Since being activated from the injured list, Mauricio has crushed the ball for Triple-A Syracuse, hitting an absurd .515 (17-for-33) with three home runs and eight RBI in nine games. While the Mets had planned to give Mauricio time to get re-acclimated to the rigors of playing every day, his hot start will become tough to ignore if Mauricio stays hot for another week or so.

The absence of Jesse Winker due to an oblique injury has created an opening at DH, which the Mets have filled with a combo platter of Starling Marte and Mark Vientos. Brett Baty's resurgence since returning from the minors after Winker's injury has also led to him getting more reps, which have come at the expense of infielder Luisangel Acuña.

Acuña, who won the National League's Rookie of the Month award in April, struggled mightily in the month of May. Despite receiving a similar number of at-bats, Acuña hit just .204 with a .476 OPS last month, drawing just two starts in the past eight games, with advanced stats showing that he was clearly the least valuable member of the offense of late.

While Acuña does offer elite speed and strong defense up the middle, he isn't doing enough at the plate right now to justify the Mets keeping him on the roster if Mauricio is obliterating Triple-A pitching. The Mets also have to consider the fact that Acuña is still only 23 years old and isn't going to develop a better approach at the plate playing twice a week, so a chance to play everyday with Syracuse could help his game.

Mauricio's best defensive position is currently second base, but he did also get reps at third in 2023 and has worked there in the minors this season, which could give the Mets more versatility in terms of lineup construction upon his return. While Acuña will likely get a bit more time to state his case, he will need to be more productive at the plate to hold off a hard-charging Mauricio.