The New York Mets have found themselves entering a rebuild in 2023. This rebuild is far from over and there are a few players that could be optioned soon.
The New York Mets were the biggest team at the trade deadline, dealing away two future Hall of Fame starters among others. They kicked off their rebuild with a bang during the 2023 season, but the year isn't over just yet. They could still make some big decisions for their future down the stretch of this year.
The Mets have the next few months to get some of their younger players some playing time as well as building some confidence and momentum back into their roster. There are players on the team now that likely won't be on the roster past the end of August, likely to be replaced with the up-and-coming prospects or players returning from the injured list. Which three players are most likely to be off the roster before September 1st?
Mets rumors: Outfielder Rafael Ortega will be off the roster when Starling Marte returns
Sadly, for Mets fans, the injury woes for Starling Marte have continued to cause issues as Marte was moved to the IL yet again. He is truly an incredible talent with plenty more in the tank, but if he can't stay healthy, his value is near zero. That has opened up a spot for Rafael Ortega to be on the roster and even in the lineup from time to time.
With Marte out, the Mets recalled an outfielder, Abraham Almonte from Triple-A. Almonte and Ortega both don't have long-term spots on the roster, leaving them wide open for demotion to Triple-A or designated for assignment. But Ortega, at 32 years old, will likely be demoted this month. On the season, he holds an abysmal slash line of .133/.235/.200, good for just 2 hits and 5 strikeouts in 15 at-bats. While the sample size is still rather small, Ortega has never been a spectacular MLB player.
This decision shouldn't cause too much uproar within the Mets fanbase or media, because it will likely mean that one of their best players is returning from injury, healthy and ready to contribute again. If you're a Rafael Ortega fan, enjoy the season while you can because the veteran outfielder likely won't be in New York for too much longer.
Mets rumors: Reliever Jimmy Yacabonis will likely not make the Mets roster for much longer
The Mets, like many MLB teams, see relievers bounce between Triple-A and the MLB depending on health, depth, options available and if they are designated for assignment. One of the relievers that will most likely see himself designated for assignment is the righty, Jimmy Yacabonis. He has no future in New York and his production hasn't been up to par either.
Yacabonis has allowed nine earned runs in nine innings this year, good for a negative WAR. But that isn't new to Yacabonis in his career, as for his career, he holds an ERA north of 6. He's also worth negative WAR over his entire career, making him a pretty unusable pitcher for a team's future. The righty is on the wrong end of 30 and also has a 1.7 career WHIP and less than 1 strikeout an inning.
With all that being said, Yacabonis could be the very next Met to be removed from this roster. They have multiple guys in the minor leagues that could replace him and prove to be better options in the bullpen. The return of Joey Lucchesi could also speed up the process of removing Yacabonis from the roster. His spot is gone once the 30-year-old Lucchesi returns.
Mets rumors: Jonathan Araúz will likely be replaced by another prospect this month
Just recently, the Mets announced they were calling up Jonathan Arauz to play infield while optioning Brett Baty to Triple-A. This decision shouldn't surprise many, as it's increasingly likely that New York will continue to play different young players in order to find out what they have with each one for the future. The bad part, for Arauz, is that one of these young players is coming for his spot and he's a top prospect in the organization.
Of course, this prospect is Ronny Mauricio, the Mets' third-ranked prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Mauricio also grades out as MLB Pipeline's 54th-ranked prospect in baseball and he is MLB-ready whenever they decide to call him up. On the season, the 22-year-old shortstop is slashing .289/.338/.479 with 16 home runs and 26 doubles. He already looks like the future of the Mets' middle infield.
But this eventual call-up will certainly spell the end of Arauz's time with the 2023 Mets, though he will likely be up during September call-ups and into next year. Unless the young infielder can show some serious improvements over the next couple of weeks, he may see his 2023 MLB season come to an end.
