Tyrone

Taylor

Taylor hit the injured list earlier this week and is likely to be out until at least mid-June. The 32-year-old’s absence opens the door for journeyman Eric Wagaman to get some opportunities against left-handed starters.

Taylor was hitting .186/.210/.320 in 43 games with the Mets this year, playing a bigger role than expected due to injuries. Eric Wagaman figures to be the right-handed option off the bench for the Mets in Taylor’s stead.

It certainly doesn’t sound good. Taylor was replaced by MJ Melendez in left field after grounding out in the sixth inning of Monday’s contest at Citi Field. The 32-year-old outfielder will undergo a battery of tests to determine the severity of the issue and his next steps. There should be some clarity on his status at some point later this week.

It kind of looked like the Mets gave up on this one when they brought in Sean Manaea in relief of a wild Freddy Peralta in the sixth inning and then left him in after that turned into a four-run inning. Manaea went on to walk in a run in the seventh, leading him to being booed off the field when the inning ended, but he turned in scoreless eighth and ninth innings, and the Mets pulled off a stunning comeback when Taylor launched his homer off David Bednar with two outs. Devin Williams then kept the Yankees scoreless in the 10th, and the Mets won the game on a grounder up the middle with one out and a runner on third when two members of the Yankees’ five-man infield got in each other’s way while hoping to make a play at the plate. Taylor’s homer was his third of the year. He had come off the bench to replace MJ Melendez four innings earlier against a lefty.

Robert Jr. hasn’t played in three games, so this always seemed possible. The 28-year-old has played over 110 games only once in his career, and it seems like injuries will be a factor in yet another season for him. The Mets will likely continue to start Tyrone Taylor in center field with MJ Melendez in left field until Juan Soto is healthy enough to be in the outfield. A trade could certainly be in the cards for the Mets if they don’t want this season to get away from them.

Robert Jr. is dealing with lower back tightness and has missed the last three games. It’s unclear if the Mets will put him on the injured list, but Tyrone Taylor will start in center field and sixth on Wednesday.

And then he got removed for a pinch-hitter in the ninth anyway. Taylor’s homer off Jose Quintana was his second of the year. He’s supposed to mostly play against lefties, but with Juan Soto limited to DH duties since returning, there is some extra outfield time available at the moment. Like Saturday, when he gave Luis Robert Jr. a day off against a righty.

The Mets have planned on giving the 28-year-old outfielder regular days of rest this season to keep him fresh and giving the elite production that he has provided so far, there’s no reason to shy away from that plan. Carson Benge will slide over and start in center field while Tyrone Taylor patrols left field and will bat ninth for the Mets against A’s right-hander Aaron Civale.

Soto singled in his lone at-bat and then came up a little lame running from first to third before being replaced by Tyrone Taylor in left field. He’s probably day-to-day, but he could DH a couple of times if it remains an issue this weekend.

The 23-year-old rookie outfielder started each of the team’s first five ballgames but has now found himself on the bench for two straight contests against opposing left-handers. It looks like he’ll be stuck in the strong side of a platoon role for the time being. Benge has homered and stolen a pair of bases already for fantasy managers this season but has done so while hitting an anemic .158 (3-for-19) with three runs scored, one RBI and a 7/2 K/BB ratio. Tyrone Taylor will start in his place and bat ninth against Robbie Ray and the Giants on Thursday evening.