James McCann passed his first base test on Monday night, making a diving stop in the second inning in what has his first time fielding a ball at first base since college.
"It definitely loosened me up a little bit, getting that first one out of the way," McCann said. "I joked with the guys, I said, 'I haven't felt these kind of jitters in a while, standing out there playing defense.'"
McCann also looked more composed at the plate, belting just his second home run of the season, marking his second straight game with a hit as he looks to pull himself out of what has been a brutal start to his Mets tenure.
"It's a hard game," McCann said. "There's stretches you go through where the hard game becomes even tougher. It's just one of those things you have to grind through and keep pushing…the thing I've learned over my career is you have to keep pushing through and keep grinding, but definitely the last couple days I've felt better."
After batting .214 with a .558 OPS in April, the month of May hasn't been much kinder to McCann. Including Monday night, McCann is batting .189 in May with a .510 OPS, as frustrated fans continue to wait for the hitter that warranted a four-year, $40 million deal this past offseason.
But with such little alternatives and the fact that seven of his last eight batted balls have been over 90 mph, manager Luis Rojas had McCann batting third on Monday and at a position in the field that he hasn't played in his major or minor league career.
"We've been seeing that the last few days, and that's why we leaned on the decision of playing him at first and batting him third…he's looked more balanced, his swing has looked more through the zone, and he showed it," Rojas said. "He had two hard contacts, and there was a popup to right field that he just missed."
McCann has hit the ball hard in recent days, and he finally had a favorable outcome to show for it with Monday night's home run. So whether it be behind the plate or at another position he's never played before, McCann will be in the lineup, and the Mets hope he will continue to trend in a productive direction in a time when the team desperately needs an offensive boost.
"There were some mechanical things that I got away from," McCann said of his prolonged slump. "Just finding that stride, that rhythm at the plate that I know I have when I'm going good. That's been the big thing, simplifying things and getting back where I know I've had success in the past."
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