Mets happy with what they see of Luisangel Acuna at shortstop
Luisangel Acuna of the Mets throws for an out during the ninth inning against the Nationals at Citi Field on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The scouting report on Luisangel Acuna hasn’t changed too much in recent years: He’s fast, he’s got good bat-to-ball skills and, according to Baseball Prospectus, his plus arm doesn’t quite make up for the fact that his instincts might be a little slow to play shortstop.
And in truth, when your brother is former MVP Ronald Acuna Jr., comparison is rarely going to be in your favor.
But though the sample size has been extremely small, the Mets, so far, are pleased with what they see. A day after entering the game at shortstop in the ninth inning, Acuna, who projects better as a second baseman, was back there again Tuesday evening for the 10-1 victory over the Nationals, going 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs (he did commit one error).
On Monday, Acuna was sure-handed in the Mets' 2-1 win, converting four of six outs at shortstop — including two in the 10th with the go-ahead run at third.
Carlos Mendoza said Monday that Acuna likely will get regular playing time as Francisco Lindor recovers from a back injury.
“I’m going to go back to that game last night, the game is on the line … he not only got to the ball but with ease,” Mendoza said Tuesday. “His tempo, I feel like his ability to slow the game down for a kid that age that just came up to the big leagues and make those plays like that — infield in, no panic at all. It says a lot about who he is. These are some of the reports that we got through Triple-A throughout the year, that his ability to slow the game down was very, very impressive. The fact that he goes out there and plays defense and doesn’t take the offense to the field, that’s pretty impressive as well.”
Lindor, Senga progressing
There’s still no exact timeline on Lindor’s return from a back injury, but team trainers reported to Mendoza that the shortstop is “doing better.” Lindor said he hoped to resume baseball activities Tuesday or Wednesday…Kodai Senga threw a bullpen session Tuesday and the Mets will decide on his next steps depending on how he feels Wednesday. That could be a bullpen or live batting practice, Mendoza said. Despite there being only 11 games left in the season (after Tuesday night), Mendoza said getting Senga back before any potential postseason games is still in play.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
