Michael Conforto was cheered by Mets fans when he was plunked in the elbow to give New York a controversial walk-off win in Thursday's home opener, but 48 hours later, he was treated to boos.
Conforto, hoping to land a contract extension this season, went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Marlins, continuing what has been a frustrating start to the season.
"He's in that funk," manager Luis Rojas said after Saturday's loss. "He's swinging through a lot of fastballs…in the zone. He's just gotta get to that feel. I think every hitter goes through this."
Following Saturday's tough day at the plate, Conforto's season batting average dropped to .143 and his OPS fell to .440. He has struck out at least once in every game so far this season, and six times in the last three games.
Still, Rojas isn't worried about his No. 3 hitter.
"He's gone through this in the past," Rojas said. "He'll simplify things and we'll see the Conforto we know soon. It's only the fifth game, it's so early."
It's certainly a small sample size, especially given Conforto's typical production at the plate. Last year, in 233 plate appearances, he hit a career-high .322 with a .927 OPS, his highest since his All-Star season in 2017. Despite the tough start, Rojas expects to see that version of Conforto sooner than later.
"Sometimes it takes one pitch or one at-bat," Rojas said. "Sometimes it takes a few at-bats for your swing to come back. He'll get to that feel. We have to have confidence that he's going to get there."
Mets fans in attendance on Saturday grew impatient with Conforto's struggles, especially after they contributed to another rough offensive showing with deGrom on the mound. With just five games played so far, the Mets are far from concerned about the 28-year-old' plate appearances to start the year.
"He's a fantastic player and a fantastic hitter, and there's a reason he's in the three hole in our lineup," Brandon Nimmo said. "I have the utmost confidence in him that he's going to find his way out of it…people think in baseball you're just going to do well all the time...this is not even a week into the season for us."
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