Jerry Manuel’s grand experiment is over. Jose Reyes will bat leadoff against the Marlins on Saturday night, according to David Lennon of New York Newsday.
It was a worthwhile idea at the time, but Reyes batted just .207/.253/.280 with zero homers, six RBI and a 533 OPS over 82 at-bats as the No. 3 hitter. He is batting just .182 (10-for-55) in May and carries a .215/.267/.289 batting line into Saturday’s action.
Unfortunately, Reyes has fell into some pretty bad habits at the plate, swinging at a career-high 35.5 percent of pitches outside the strike zone, so hopefully a return to the leadoff spot will allow him to be more selective.
Reyes is simply swapping places with Angel Pagan in the lineup, who will bat third against left-hander Nate Robertson on Saturday. Somewhere in Florida, Carlos Beltran just went for a brisk jog.