Mets call up Ronny Mauricio from Triple-A Syracuse, place Mark Vientos on IL with hamstring strain
Ronny Mauricio of the Mets runs to the dugout after the fourth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on Sept. 15, 2023 Credit: Jim McIsaac
LOS ANGELES — Until Tuesday, Ronny Mauricio hadn’t played a major-league game in 20 months. In that time, he tore his ACL playing winter ball for the Dominican Republic, he had two knee surgeries, and could do little more than watch as young players overtook him in the prospect rankings and made their way on to a big-league roster.
He also learned English, taking classes twice a week over FaceTime. He learned about his body, and how he responds to uncertainty and adversity.
“You learn a lot,” he said in English on Tuesday afternoon before the Mets took on the Dodgers. “I’m a better person and a better player and that process gave me a lot of tools ... It’s a long process. I think it’s the hardest process [I’ve gone through] in my career but it’s helped me a lot.”
Mauricio, 24, the switch-hitting wunderkind who was once the top prospect in the Mets' system, was called up from Triple-A Syracuse after just 65 minor-league at-bats this year, the team announced before Tuesday night's game in Los Angeles. He played third base and batted seventh. Mauricio, overcome with the emotion of his return, wept during the national anthem
He'll take Mark Vientos' roster spot after Vientos was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, which he injured trying to run out a grounder in the 10th inning of the Mets' 4-3 win over the Dodgers on Monday. Vientos immediately grabbed the back of his leg after leaving the box, and will travel to New York on Wednesday for an MRI, Carlos Mendoza said.
Mauricio, meanwhile, has made himself undeniable, slashing .515/.564/.818 with three homers, eight RBIs, four stolen bases, five walks and five strikeouts in nine games with Syracuse, and .323/.384/.508 in 19 total minor-league games since resuming play this spring. He’ll get playing time at second, third and DH, which could possibly take from Luisangel Acuna’s already spare playing time, though Mendoza said they’ll consider using Acuna in the outfield.
Despite Mauricio’s minor-league production, president of baseball operations David Stearns said last week that the Mets were being cautious about bringing him up too soon, since he missed a full year during a critical point in his development.
Mendoza alluded to that fact, and preached patience. There are still holes in Mauricio’s game — particularly his tendency to swing at pitches outside of the zone — and there should be no expectation that this disappear when he faces major-league pitching.
In 26 major-league games in 2023, Mauricio hit .248 with two homers, nine RBIs, seven walks and seven stolen bases, but struck out 31 times in 101 at-bats. He had significantly more success as a lefthanded batter in a limited major-league sample size, hitting .309 from that side of the plate.
“That’s an area where he needs to improve — we’ll see him chase, especially with how good the pitching is at the big-league level," Mendoza said. "That’s why I’m saying we need to be patient with him because there’s room for development ... But we also know there’s impact there. He’s going to be aggressive. That’s part of what makes him who he is. He’s an aggressive hitter and he’s going to go out there and hack.”
His message to Mauricio was to “just be yourself. Don’t try to do anything extra. I know there are high expectations. We don’t want him to be the savior.”
Still, like Mauricio, Mendoza seemed to believe his player’s tumultuous path back to the big leagues wasn’t for naught. There’s plenty to be learned, even if you don’t have a bat in your hand, and it’s something that can help Mauricio in the moments when, like all baseball players, he inevitably scuffles.
“He’s a pretty confident player,” Mendoza said. “He went through a lot and when you have to go through adversity like that, like he went through and setbacks and going back and getting another surgery, that’s not easy but that’s what makes him who he is. Not only is he very talented, but he’s a very positive guy, a guy who’ll continue to fight.”
Notes & quotes: In an effort to buoy a spent bullpen, the Mets recalled lefty Brandon Waddell from Syracuse and optioned righty reliever Max Kranick to Triple-A. Paul Blackburn, who pitched five innings in his return from the injured list Monday, could also be available out of the bullpen as early as Thursday or Friday, Mendoza said … Frankie Montas (lat) had his rehab assignment transferred to Triple-A, but was shelled for four homers in his start Tuesday. He allowed five runs, eight hits and a walk with three strikeouts over four innings.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
