Ronny Mauricio’s wait to get back on the diamond lasted 18 months. The decision regarding his immediate future with the Mets is much, much shorter.
Wednesday is the 11th day of Mauricio’s rehab assignment, which, per league rules, can only last a maximum of 20 days. By Friday, May 16, the club will have to make a call on which level of the 24-year-old infielder will begin his 2025 season as long as he remains healthy.
Mauricio is coming off an arduous rehab process stemming from a torn ACL he suffered while playing winter ball in December of 2023. Eight months after his first surgery, he had to undergo a second procedure to remove scar tissue from his right knee, which shelved him for the entirety of last season.
While he has not appeared in a major league game since the end of the 2023 season, Mauricio is still on the 40-man roster.
“We have a decision to make,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Tuesday. “So we’ll see. Gotta get there first. Hopefully, he continues to feel the way he’s feeling, and we’ll see what we got.”
There is an understandable amount of rust that has to be shaken off. Mauricio was batting .133 with a .329 OPS in 15 at-bats with Single-A St. Lucie. On Tuesday, he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base.
Following the game, he was promoted to Double-A Binghamton, where he will play his first game on Friday. He is expected to continue playing second base, shortstop, and third base, as versatility remains a premium in the David Stearns era.
Understanding how long it took him to get back on the field and how there is not much of a rush to get him back in the big leagues with Luisangel Acuna filling the role of utility infielder well, the Mets will likely use one of Mauricio’s options to assign him to one of their minor-league affiliates—most likely Triple-A Syracuse—where he can continue ramping up toward contributing every day.
