Marcus

Semien

You’d be hard-pressed to find a less valuable player than Semien this season. The Mets only mustered two measly singles and one walk against Chris Sale and the Braves’ bullpen here, but Semien was a special kind of lost. He struck out three times and only saw 11 total pitches on his way to doing so. He probably deserves to lose playing time down the stretch with just a .620 OPS this season plus some awful defensive metrics.

Semien is back at second base and hitting sixth after sitting out the front-end of Wednesday’s twin bill. The 35-year-old veteran has been on a tear at the dish recently, homering three times in his last five games. The other change for New York involves Luis Robert Jr. taking a turn in center field with rookie sensation A.J. Ewing on the bench.

Semien’s home run was his 12th of the season. He hit a two-run shot off Braves reliever Connor Thomas in the sixth inning. Semien has five runs scored, three home runs and six RBI over his last five games. The second baseman who turns 36 in September is hitting .214 with a .620 OPS and 35 RBI in his first season with the Mets.

Semien’s homer came in the seventh inning and gave the club some insurance runs. It has been a brutal season at the plate for the 35-year-old, who was acquired over the offseason for Brandon Nimmo. He’s off the fantasy radar heading into the final two months of the regular season.

With Luis Robert Jr. off the injured list, there was an expectation that the Mets would rotate through their outfielders, but Robert Jr. is on the bench for this one too. Brett Baty will start in right field, which will allow Jorge Polanco to DH and Marcus Semien to play second base. There will be a logjam at certain positions over the next week or so until the Mets can trade some players away.

Expect him to be back in the starting lineup tonight. Since Semien is hitting .214/.271/.341 with nine homers and six stolen bases in 318 plate appearances, he doesn’t necessarily need to be started in any fantasy leagues. Hopefully the time off will get him hitting better down the stretch.

Semien is expected to remain there through the All-Star break, with the assumption that he’ll be ready to rejoin the Mets to start the season’s second half. The 35-year-old infielder has hit an underwhelming .214/.271/.341 with nine homers, 29 RBI and six stolen bases in his first 318 plate appearances with the Mets.

Semien’s injury comes a bit out of nowhere, and the 35-year-old veteran will now be out of action for at least a week-plus; likely longer as flexor strains don’t often suggest a minimum stint on the injured list. There should be further updates on Semien in the coming days,, but for now, Ronny Mauricio is up from Triple-A to take his place on the roster and potentially in the lineup.

Semien broke the game open with a two-out, two-run triple off of Jose Alvarado in the seventh inning that turned a 4-3 game into a 6-3 advantage. He also singled in the contest. With the two-hit attack, the 35-year-old infielder is now slashing .225/.283/.362 with nine homers, 26 RBI and six stolen bases across his first 298 plate appearances with the Mets.

Semien went back-to-back with A.J. Ewing in the bottom of the fifth. The 35-year-old second baseman now has nine homers and six steals on the year, which is decent fantasy value, but it has come with a .218 batting average and a .626 OPS, continuing his multi-year decline. Semien at least hasn’t stopped pulling the ball in the air. He was acquired in a trade with the Rangers for Brandon Nimmo this past offseason and remains under club control through 2028.