The Mets made their first large batch of reassignments of the spring on Monday, optioning seven to the minor-league side after Monday’s game.
The players optioned included top infield prospects Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos, as well as infielder Travis Blankenhorn, outfielders Khalil Lee and Nick Plummer, catcher Patrick Mazeika, and RHP Jose Butto.
RHPs Jordan Yamamoto and Thomas Szapucki were also optioned to minor-league camp over the weekend in individual moves, so the Mets now have 51 players left in MLB camp.
Mets manager Buck Showalter raved about Mauricio, who is a consensus Top 3 prospect in the organization, over the weekend, saying “he’s got skills” and hoping he could keep the shortstop in camp longer to learn from his veteran infielders.
"I wish we could keep him longer to be around Francisco (Lindor) and Robby (Cano) and Eduardo (Escobar),” Showalter said Sunday. “They're really good examples on the field, and they speak the language. Francisco had a great impression on Mauricio yesterday. We're all gonna need some guidance along the way."
Blankenhorn, Lee, Mazeika, Butto, Yamamoto, and Szapucki all spent time on the MLB roster last season, while Plummer was an off-season signing.
Vientos, the team’s second-round pick in 2017, will likely join that group in beginning the year at Triple-A Syracuse, a level he reached for the first time last season after hitting 22 homers and posting a .927 OPS in 72 games at Double-A Binghamton.
Double-A is where Mauricio will likely begin, and he played eight games there late last season after spending most of the year at High-A Brooklyn.
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