A slumping New York Mets slugger will be sidelined for the second time this season. The Mets placed Jorge Polanco on the 10-day injured list with left ankle bursitis before Wednesday's afternoon game against the San Diego Padres. Per Newsday's Laura Albanese, Mets interim manager Andy Green said Polanco is expected to undergo surgery after playing through pain.
New York recalled Eric Wagaman less than two weeks after sending the first baseman down to Triple-A Syracuse. The Mets also made a bullpen swap, optioning relief pitcher Jack Weisenburger to Triple-A and calling up Chayce McDermott. Although Polanco had mostly played second base, the Mets signed him with intentions of replacing longtime mainstay Pete Alonso at first base.
The move has drastically damaged their lineup this season. Alonso has rebounded from a slow start to register 28 home runs and an .854 OPS with the Baltimore Orioles. Polanco, who hit 26 home runs for the Seattle Mariners last season, is batting a putrid .148/.201/.230 with two long balls in 145 plate appearances.
He's played just two games at first base, spending the rest of his time as the designated hitter. Polanco's -1.4 fWAR is tied with Salvador Perez and the recently demoted Noelvi Marte for MLB's worst rate. He's batting .127 (10-for-79) with 25 strikeouts in 23 games since returning from a left Achilles injury that cost him nearly three months.
It's a jarring decline for a career .259/.326/.435 hitter who received an All-Star nod with the Minnesota Twins in 2019. The Mets will especially want Polanco to right the ship since he'll make $23 million in 2027. Wagaman rejoins the Mets after batting .190/.277/.333 in 47 big league plate appearances.
The 29-year-old had formed a platoon with Jared Young at first base, but the Mets called up another right-handed infielder, Christopher Morel, earlier this week. With Polanco sidelined, the Mets could regularly play catcher Francisco Alvarez at DH while starting the streaking Luis Torrens behind the plate.
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