Mets won’t let all the fun disappear

Regular-season baseball games aren’t known for their end-to-end excitement, but Mets games in the back half of the schedule were as close as the sport gets. The team’s hot finish led to lively Citi Field crowds, violent high fives, and ripped shirts after walk-offs.

You know, all the fun stuff that can’t be done six feet away.

J.D. Davis didn’t just fuel the hot finish — hitting .337 with a .979 OPS after the All-Star break — he exemplified the fire his team played with during the stretch run.

Davis knows the team depended on it, but thinks the Mets can thrive from a social distance.

“I think you all guys have seen that we fed off the fans the second half — it just kind of clicked instantly,” said Davis, who’s entering his second year with the team. “But you know what, I think you guys have all seen that we bring our own energy pretty good in the clubhouse and on the field and on the field.”

The left fielder and occasional third baseman — Davis took some practice reps at the hot corner during Tuesday’s camp — admits there will be a learning curve.

“Obviously, everybody’s going to feel a little bit isolated, especially, you know, having our own teammates being in the stands, you know, six to 10 feet apart,” said Davis. “But you know what, we love playing this game … we enjoy being around each other. So I don’t think it’s going to be that much of a concern.”

Pete Alonso, who described Davis’ enthusiastic attitude as “infectious” (in a good way), was also right at the center of the action, ripping off jerseys in between tearing up record books. The second-year star broke the franchise and rookie home run record, but in between the big flies, Alonso was the chief vibe setter, facilitating the reckless joy during their streaks and signature victories.

“I know we’re not going to be able to do the chest bumps, the pregame handshake rituals, and ripping shirts off after walk-off wins,” said Alonso, chuckling after listing last year’s antics. ”But we’ll figure something out.”

“We don’t know what yet,” said Alonso, though he seemed convinced that protocol-approved celebrations would “come out naturally.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

HUGHES MYSTERY

No news from Luis Rojas on reliever Jared Hughes’ status. The Mets won’t disclose the groundball specialist’s reasons for being absent, provoking the obvious questions and concerns of playing baseball in a health crisis.

“Jared hasn’t been here yet,” said the Mets manager, before reminding all the reporters on the Zoom call that he won’t discuss anyone who isn’t at practice. “You know, just so you guys know, I’m just gonna talk about everyone that’s here.”

Any player that has coronavirus must give their consent to being publicly identified with contracting the virus, per league rules and in observance of HIPAA.

CESPEDES MAKING PROGRESS

Rojas said Yoenis Cespedes could be an outfield option as he returns from his long, injuryladen layoff. Cespedes did some defense work before taking his hacks during batting practice.