CHICAGO — Jose Siri is the odd man out in center field.
The Mets activated center fielder Tyrone Taylor off the injured list Wednesday afternoon, leaving them with one too many center fielders. The club had to cut one of them and chose Siri over Cedric Mullins, designating him for assignment shortly before the second game of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.
“Not an easy [decision],” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “Obviously, we know how toolsy he is and what he brings to the table, but it’s been a difficult year for him dealing with the fracture pretty much the whole year. It got to a point where we’re activating a right-handed hitter that plays pretty good defense and provides versatility and speed.”
Mullins, acquired by the Mets at the trade deadline from the Baltimore Orioles, bats left-handed, which gives the lineup another piece to work with. While the veteran outfielder has been somewhat disappointing since the trade, Siri’s season was far more disappointing. Acquired in the offseason in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, the Mets thought they saw some offensive spark and improved power in 2024 that could carry over into 2025, but he didn’t get a chance to show it with a fractured tibia keeping him out most of the season.
The 30-year-old Dominican Republic native was injured in early April, fouling a pitch off his left leg in Sacramento. In a somewhat embarrassing incident for the A’s, the golf cart used to cart injured players from the field to the clubhouses beyond the outfield at Sutter Health Park broke down and had to be pushed off the field by the grounds crew. A second cart was brought for Siri, who needed assistance getting around.
He suffered a setback in the summer when imaging found the bone wasn’t healing properly. Once Siri was finally able to get into a game, it had been months since he had seen live pitching. He hit just. .063 with two doubles, one RBI and two stolen bases in only 16 Major League games this season, striking out 17 times.
Defense and speed have always been Siri’s strengths, but his -1 OAA and -2 DRS made him a liability. Mullins has been much better defensively, with 4 OAA.
Taylor is an elite defender in center field, but has been an exceptionally streaky hitter. Still, the Mets have badly missed his defense in recent weeks, with the rangy outfielder seemingly able to make it to any ball hit to the outfield. He was back in the lineup Wednesday batting ninth.
Taylor is expected to get the bulk of the playing time in center field this week, but the Mets will play the matchups as they deem necessary with Mullins, Brandon Nimmo and super utility man Jeff McNeil.
“Everybody is willing to do whatever it takes,” Mendoza said. “We’ll use everyone accordingly.”
