Ronny

Mauricio

After five straight games on the bench, Mauricio hit three homers in his two starts this weekend, giving the Mets something to think about ahead during the offseason. Nothing much that happened prior to Saturday suggested he was going to be in their plans for 2027, when he’ll be out of options. His power remains intriguing, though. He finishes at .220/.258/.441 in 62 major league plate appearances this season.

Mauricio made quite a statement with his bat during the same contest where Brett Baty received his first career start at shortstop. The 25-year-old former top prospect recorded the first multi-homer performance of his career by taking Nationals relievers Jake Irvin and Richard Lovelady deep in the seventh and ninth innings, respectively.

Mauricio has gotten zero starts in four games against lefties since being recalled, but he did start the lone previous game against a righty, going 0-for-2 with a walk and an RBI on Saturday. The Mets are finally facing another righty today, but they picked Nick Marabito to start over Mauricio, with Juan Soto DHing for a second straight day. Mauricio will be out of options next spring, but given how the Mets have handled him this year, he might not even be on the roster at that point.

With Jared Young (concussion) landing on the injured list on Friday, Mauricio will have another opportunity to show the Mets what he can do at the MLB level. He has struggled in his limited chances this season, slashing .180/.180/.260 with one homer, two RBI and an 18/0 K/BB ratio in his first 50 plate appearances.

Mauricio has five home runs in his last six games in Triple-A and has 12 home runs and a .979 OPS on the season. It’s unclear which players the Mets will be trading away at the deadline, but it makes sense for them to use the final two months of the season to see if Mauricio can be a regular part of their 2027 roster. That, or use him as part of a trade to land a starting pitcher.

Mauricio winds up losing his roster spot with veteran Jorge Polanco returning from the injured list. The 25-year-old former top prospect has hit .180 (9-for-50) with one homer and two RBI in 17 games at the highest level this season.

Despite hitting .147/.261/.173 in 27 games in June, the Mets continue to play Baty at second base against right-handed pitching. Ronny Mauricio has made only one start in the last month, so there doesn’t seem to be any threat to Baty’s playing time. We would not be trusting him in fantasy leagues, though. Tyrone Taylor will make his first start against right-handed pitching since coming off the injured list, starting in left field and batting ninth.

Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A after being activated from the injured list before Wednesday’s game, but because Marcus Semien was placed on the 10-day injured list, the 25-year-old is able to join the Mets. He likely will see time up the middle in Semien’s absence, but there should be better fantasy options in the majority of leagues than Mauricio, respectfully.

There simply isn’t a spot for Mauricio on New York’s overcrowded big-league roster at the moment. The 25-year-old former top prospect will remain stationed on the doorstep of the majors until injury or ineffectiveness provide him with an extended shot. He hit the injured list with a fractured thumb back in early May.

Mauricio fractured his left thumb on May 3rd and was expected to miss six to eight weeks, so he’s right on track in his recovery. With how much the Mets’ bats have slumped, it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to come back and push Brett Baty, Eric Wagaman, or Jared Young back to the minors. Mark Vientos has no minor league options left, which is why he will likely remain.