LOS ANGELES — The Mets have been curious about Ronny Mauricio for years. His power is undeniable, but the infielder was blocked at several positions before tearing his ACL right as the team decided to move him to third base. Now, they’ll get their chance to see what he can do in an extended big league stint, with Mark Vientos out with a hamstring strain.
The severity of the strain is still unknown, and Vientos was sent back to New York for further testing. The Mets placed him on the 10-day injured list Tuesday to be able to get Mauricio on the roster. The switch-hitter will be thrown right into the action, hitting seventh and playing third base Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After a year away from baseball, Mauricio appears back and better than ever. It’s a small sample size, but he’s been hitting over .500 in Triple-A with an OPS over 1.000 in only nine games.
“I’ve already played in the minor leagues, I’ve already had success in the minor leagues,” Mauricio said through a team translator Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. “The fact that I’ve been there, the fact that I’ve experienced it, I think that’s why I was able to have that success when I went back.”
Mauricio last played in the Major Leagues in September 2023, hitting .248 with a .643 OPS over 26 games. There were some growing pains, but also flashes of the player projected to be a power-hitting switch hitter. The 6-foot-4 Dominican was then just 22, and hit four doubles and two home runs, while also stealing seven bases.
The contact was solid; Mauricio, then just 22, had an average exit velocity of 90 MPH and a top exit velocity of 117.3 MPH, with a 38.6 hard-hit percentage. The hard contact returned once he was able to finally pick up a bat again. Now 24, Mauricio displayed it throughout a minor league rehab stint in Low-A St. Lucie, Double-A Binghamton, and finally Triple-A Syracuse, where he was optioned after his rehab stint.
“It’s a long process. I think it’s been the hardest process of my career,” he said. “But it’s helped me a lot. Like to learn about my body, everything I do, the hard work — I learned a lot. I’m a better person and a better player. That process gave me a lot of tools.”
Mauricio tore his ACL in a winter league game in the Dominican Republic in December 2023 and underwent surgery the next month to repair the ligament. There was hope he could return late last season, but he required a second operation to remove scar tissue, setting him back even further. Mauricio reported to spring training in good shape, but did not get into any Grapefruit League games.
With speed being a key part of his game, the Mets wanted to make sure he was cleared to run at full speed once he started playing games again. The speed is still there: He went 6-for-7 on the basepaths in Triple-A.
“I was talking to [Syracuse manager] Dickie Scott this morning, and the first thing he said, ‘The way he’s running, this is a guy that can score from first base on a ball in the gap, score from second base on a base hit and steal bases,’” said manager Carlos Mendoza. “There aren’t limitations from that end, so I’m excited to watch.”
Plate discipline is something Mauricio will have to improve in the big leagues. During his first big-league call-up, he walked only seven times and struck out 31. Mauricio has had a high chase rate since he started with the organization, but the Mets are already developing Luisangel Acuña while he plays a big-league utility role, so they believe it’s something they can still coach at this level.
“We know there’s skills there, but we have to be patient here with him,” Mendoza said. “He’s had some really good results. It was a long process for him, and we really took the time. We thought we were going to give him some opportunities and spring training, and that didn’t happen because of the whole progression and all that, but a very talented player.”
ROSTER MOVE
In addition, the Mets optioned right-hander Max Kranick to Triple-A Syracuse and called up left-hander Brandon Waddell to give the bullpen a fresh arm. Kranick was 3-1 with a 3.51 over 33 1/3 innings this season, his first in the Major Leagues since undergoing Tommy John surgery with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2022.
A converted starter, Kranick was used as a long reliever, throwing 2.0 or more innings eight times, and more than 1.0 innings 13 times. He took the news hard, but understood that it was a numbers game. The Mets can use Waddell, a Syracuse starter, for up to 90-95 pitches.
Right-hander Paul Blackburn, who started Monday night’s game, will move to the bullpen later in the week. The Mets hope to have him available Thursday against the Dodgers, or Friday when they begin a series in Denver against the Colorado Rockies.
