Mets still view Jose Iglesias as 'not a fit' after Nick Madrigal's injury, source says
Mets second base Jose Iglesias (11) during batting practice before Game 1 of the National League Championship Series against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Oct. 13, 2024. Credit: Newsday/William Perlman
JUPITER, Fla. — The aftermath of Nick Madrigal’s severe shoulder injury likely will not include the Mets revisiting the Jose Iglesias option.
They still view Iglesias as “not a fit” for their roster, according to a person familiar with the Mets’ thinking. That leaves them with several in-house options, none ideal, to replace Madrigal as the backup infielder.
Iglesias, 35, remains a free agent. He batted .337 and became a fan and clubhouse favorite in 2024, when the team claimed his “OMG” song as its anthem.
President of baseball operations David Stearns said this month, though, that the Mets prefer flexibility — in the form of minor-league option ability — for the last available bench spot.
The ability to send Madrigal to the minors was part of the reason the Mets signed him. Luisangel Acuna and Brett Baty, who are among the candidates to replace Madrigal, also can be optioned.
“Having some flexibility there in that role is, frankly, probably needed for us right now,” Stearns said.
That was Feb. 12, but it remains true now. Signing Iglesias to a major-league deal would rob the Mets of that dynamic.
Madrigal fractured his left shoulder Sunday and will be out “for a long time,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday. He was due to get a CT scan to help determine a course of treatment.
In his absence, the Mets can turn to Acuna, Baty or Donovan Walton, an offseason minor-league signee. Walton, 30, has spent parts of five seasons in the majors and “will start getting more action at short” post-Madrigal, Mendoza said.
Acuna can man the necessary positions, but the Mets might prefer to have him play every day in the minors instead of sparingly in the majors. Baty doesn’t play shortstop, though the Mets have flirted with the idea of trying. Walton would need to be added to the 40-man roster.
“We’ll see how the roster shakes out between now and Opening Day, if there’s going to be enough at-bats for [Acuna],” Mendoza said. “Are we willing to take him or whoever we’re going to take, knowing he’s probably not going to get at-bats out of the gate? We’ll see. It’s still too early.”
Extra bases
The Mets lost to the Cardinals, 7-4 . . . Pitching prospect Blade Tidwell allowed three runs in two innings against a representative Cardinals lineup. He also touched 99 mph with his sinker. “In college, I got it up to 100 a few times,” he said. “I might be back there this year.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
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