FIRST TIME FOR CES
Yoenis has been taking grounders at 1B, source says
Yoenis Cespedes has a new plan for how to stay on the field.
The oft-injured, highly paid outfielder has told the Mets he is willing to play first base, according to a team source. And while rehabbing in Port St. Lucie, Cespedes has actually been taking ground balls at first to prepare for the possibility of playing there in the future.
Of course, Cespedes must get healthy first, and that is no easy task for the man who signed a four-year, $110 million deal with the Mets before the 2017 season. He played in just 81 games last year after battling hamstring injuries in both legs, and this year he’s been out since May 14 with what was originally termed a strained hip flexor.
Last week, interim GM John Ricco revealed Cespedes actually is dealing with a chronic issue in his heel.
At this point, it doesn’t appear as though Cespedes is particularly close to rehab games — at least according to Mickey Callaway.
Cespedes still isn’t running the bases in Port St. Lucie. The outfielder, who is making $29 million in 2018, is doing straight-ahead sprints, but hasn’t yet attempted turns, which remain an important hurdle in his rehab.
Callaway said he also needs to see Cespedes move freely in the outfield before he can play in games. But that would obviously be irrelevant if Cespedes moves to first.
“I think we need to do more testing in the outfield and things like that — fly balls in the gap, have him run some of those down,” Callaway said. “So there’s more baseballspecific skills that probably need to be done as well before he gets in an actual rehab game. But he is progressing towards those.”
There remains no timetable, Callaway said.
“But he is definitely progressing,” the manager added. “He feels better and better, and is getting to do more and more activity. So he’s getting closer, is probably all I can say at this point.”
Cespedes playing first base would certainly help conserve his legs. But it also creates a playing time issue. Jay Bruce — who has been on the DL since June 19 with a sore hip and was shut down over the weekend after experiencing pain in his back — was supposed to split time at first.
Then there’s 23-year-old Dominic Smith, the Mets’ top first-base prospect who has been struggling to get at-bats at his natural position in recent weeks. If Cespedes returns and moves to first, Smith would almost certainly have to shift to the outfield, or return to the minors to receive the necessary at-bats.
Meanwhile, Peter Alonso, who is hitting .171 in 21 games at Triple-A this season, can only play first base, adding to the potential logjam.