Mike has job he likes with Mets

MIAMI − Michael Conforto woke up Thursday morning feeling good. The young Met outfielder had a strong game in the win Wednesday night and knew he would still be with the major league club − no matter what roster move the team decided to make.

“They didn’t tell me anything,” Conforto said before Thursday night’s game, “I was just pretty confident I’d still be here.”

Conforto’s pinch-hit double off the center field wall late Thursday night against the Marlins is exactly why he is still here even though the Mets have talked about the possibility of sending him to the minor leagues to play every day. Conforto’s double scored Travis d’Arnaud in the eighth inning to tie the game at 8-8. Eight innings later, d’Arnaud won it with a home run in the 16th inning for the 9-8 win.

As expected, the Mets did make a roster move, activating outfielder Juan Lagares off the disabled list and optioning right-handed pitcher Paul Sewald to Triple-A. While there was speculation that a Lagares’ return could mean that Conforto would be sent to the minors, the Mets have turned a corner from those dreary days when they were rebuilding by developing players. They are a win-now team. Their decision to keep Conforto confirms that.

Until Thursday − when Collins decided to sit the struggling Jose Reyes and Lucas Duda against the Marlins’ left handed starter Wei-Yin Chen − the Mets bench was all right-handed hitters. Conforto is the only lefty hitter with power potential on the Mets’ bench in a division that is heavy with right-handed relievers.

The Mets could not afford to allow Conforto to go play in Las Vegas.

“You gotta have one. It’s nice to have a guy,” Terry Collins said when asked about that role.

Conforto “has been great” about his limited role, Collins added.

“He’s done everything we’ve asked of him,” the manager said.

Conforto reshaped his body, worked on his swing and has even gotten comfortable as a bench player. Wednesday night, he got his second start of the season and adapted quickly to hitting in the leadoff spot − responding with his second homer and scoring three runs.

Normally that would be rewarded with more playing time, but the Mets just don’t have that option with a starting outfield of three guys who each hit at least 30 home runs last season.

Collins wrestles with that balancing act every day.

“It’s hard because I’m a development kind of guy,” Collins said. “That’s what my background is but right now I’m a winning kind of guy and those other three guys have huge track records going for them. We’ll do the best we can to try to keep him sharp and hope nobody gets hurt but if they do we certainly have a quality backup.”

That is not a role Conforto will be asked to play much in his career.

For now he is stuck there, however, because the Mets’ front office was unable to make the move they needed to this winter. They picked up Jay Bruce’s $13 million option as insurance against Yoenis Cespedes leaving and thought they would be able to trade the 30home run hitter. Instead, the market saw the one-dimensional hitter that Bruce was in his 50 games with the Mets and passed.

So there is little playing time available, which means there is still a chance for the Mets to send Conforto down.

The real threat to Conforto’s hold on a major league roster spot, however, was never Lagares. Brandon Nimmo was the real competition this spring.

Nimmo, a left-handed hitter who took to the role of bench player and pinch hitter naturally, began the season on the disabled list because of a pulled right hamstring, which he suffered in the World Baseball Classic.

While the leg has made progress, Nimmo was hit in the hand in batting practice last week, and still not able to hit.

In the meantime, Conforto is contributing consistently when he gets his chances and making himself more comfortable and confident in the major leagues.

That’s where he should be — and where the Mets need him.