Opportunities for playing time are becoming more and more scarce for New York Mets infielder Luisangel Acuna.
The 23-year-old has gotten just eight at-bats since June 1, seemingly falling out of favor in manager Carlos Mendoza’s infield rotation amidst Brett Baty’s surge and Ronny Mauricio’s call-up — both being left-handed bats that have seen the lion’s share of chances against right-handed pitching.
Acuna has just one hit in those eight at-bats, which is the most recent portion of a month-long stretch that has seen his batting average dwindle from .313 on May 4 to .244 entering Sunday’s series finale in Colorado against the Rockies, where he was once again not in the starting lineup. That’s a .145 clip with zero home runs, two RBI, and three stolen bases in 27 appearances.
But Mendoza still believes that there will be opportunities to give Acuna playing time rather than pivoting toward a demotion to Triple-A Syracuse, where he has not had much success. There is still plenty to like about his game, regardless of recent results, especially after he won National League Rookie of the Month honors in April when he batted .288 with seven stolen bases.
“There’s a good chance we’ll see him on Tuesday against the lefty,” Mendoza said, looking ahead to Tuesday’s opener against the Washington Nationals and their ace, southpaw MacKenzie Gore. “We’ll continue to work the balance: What’s best for the team? What’s best for the player with his development? He continues to help us win baseball games here. We will continue to put him in positions. He’s working. That’s the balance we have to work through.”
While Acuna has scuffled, Baty put together a red-hot May before cooling off. He has taken over the everyday job at third base after Mark Vientos hit the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury. Mauricio has overcome a difficult start to his second stint in the majors following knee surgery by hitting a 456-foot moonshot of a home run during Saturday’s win in Colorado.
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