Vidal

Bruján

Baty receives his first day off since May 10. Bo Bichette takes over at third base with Vidal Bruján getting a rare opportunity at shortstop.

With Ronny Mauricio heading to the injured list with a fractured thumb and Francisco Lindor (calf) already stationed on the injured list, the Mets’ depth at the shortstop position is running woefully thin. It’s unclear if Bruján will see the bulk of the action there or if Bo Bichette will slide over from third base in the interim while Brett Baty covers the hot corner.

Bruján lost his bid for a bench spot in Spring Training and cleared waivers today. If Bruján accepts his assignment to Triple-A, he’s probably first in line for a bench spot on the Mets if injuries strike.

The Mets claimed Bruján off waivers from the Twins in January, but he did not win a roster spot. That means Bo Bichette will serve as the backup shortstop this season, and Jared Young has made the team as a hitter off the bench.

It’s Bruján’s third organization in two weeks and sixth since the Rays traded him to the Marlins two years ago. The Mets have a potential utility opening after trading Luisangel Acuña in the Luis Robert Jr. deal, and given that Francisco Liriano, Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette will hardly ever sit or come out of games, it might make sense to carry someone like Bruján and send down Ronny Mauricio to play regularly. Still, that’s assuming Bruján remains with the club for more than a few days.

The Twins just claimed Bruján off waivers from the Braves last week, but he will now be waived to make room for Tristan Gray, who was acquired from the Red Sox this morning. Gray is a superior defender to Bruján and potentially fits better as a utility infielder.

Once a top 100 prospect in the Rays’ organization, Bruján hit .253/.305/.310 in 95 plate appearances for the Cubs, Orioles, and Braves last season and owns a .199 average in 261 MLB games. He’s also a subpar defender, which likely makes him just organizational depth at this point in his career.

The writing was on the wall for Bruján once the Braves re-signed Ha-Seong Kim and turned Mauricio Dubón into a utilityman. Bruján hit .253/.305/.310 in 95 plate appearances for the Cubs, Orioles and Braves last season, pushing up to .199/.267/.276 in 645 career plate appearances. Once considered a very promising prospect in the Rays system, he seems like a pure Triple-A guy now.

The agreement ostensibly eliminates Bruján from consideration as a non-tender candidate. The 27-year-old former top prospect has settled into a versatile reserve role in recent years and batted .244/.298/.302 with two steals in 59 games between the Braves, Orioles and Cubs this past season.

It’s highly unusual to see a young player retreat to the bench following a two-homer explosion, but that’s the case in this one as Alvarez apparently cut his thumb at some point during the late stages of Saturday’s contest in Detroit. The 22-year-old rookie infielder tallied three hits, including his first two big-league homers and a game-tying single during the comeback win. He’s day-to-day heading into the final week of the season. It’ll be Vidal Bruján drawing a start at the hot corner in his place.