When Johneshwy Fargas went down with a sprained AC joint after crashing into the wall Monday night, the Mets were down to three outfielders once again – and when Brandon Drury pinch-hit for Khalil Lee, who replaced Fargas, in the ninth, the Mets would have had to put Drury or another infielder into right field had the game gone into extras.
Fargas will go on the injured list Tuesday and the Mets will have to replace him somehow, but with no healthy position players on their 40-man roster, whomever comes up is someone that they have to be willing to lose in a few weeks if players start returning – and right now, ex-Yankees prospect Mason Williams and Drew Ferguson are the top internal options at Triple-A Syracuse.
If the Mets choose to go external for a fill-in, there are a few recently-jettisoned options available that have been playing somewhere – the Brewers, for instance, just released Dee Strange-Gordon and DFA’ed Billy McKinney – and it’s possible they go looking for the next Cameron Maybin.
Here are five potential veteran candidates for that role in Triple-A right now:
DELINO DESHIELDS
The second-generation outfielder has been linked to the Yankees as a potential target recently as well, and with good reason: he’s having a resurgent year at Triple-A Round Rock, hitting .365 with two homers through 13 games. DeShields is a .246 career hitter at the MLB level, but he can swipe a bag, and has been a better-than-average defender. His two down sides? He’s center field only (unless Dom Smith moves to first, because he’s played all of one career inning in right) and he may cost more than $1, given that the Rangers may deal one of more of their outfielders at some point.
GERARDO PARRA
Even with Victor Robles on the IL, and even with their early-season COVID outbreak, the Nationals never recalled Parra, who spent 2020 in Japan before signing a minor-league deal last winter with the team he helped win the World Series in 2019. He’s more mascot than option right now, it seems, and is hitting .205 through 12 games, but he’s a veteran who can play all three spots and was a key piece of that World Series run just two seasons ago.
MIKIE MAHTOOK
Mahtook, now 31, was a first-round pick of the Rays once upon a time, but has played only 291 MLB games since debuting in 2015. He was only a semi-regular once, in 2017 in Detroit, and spent last year at the Phillies’ Alternate Site before moving to the White Sox this year. Again, it’s telling that Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez’s injuries still haven’t gotten Mahtook a look, but he’s hitting .239 with three homers so far and could add a little pop in right field in Michael Conforto’s absence.
BRIAN GOODWIN
Also in the White Sox system right now is Goodwin, who split 2020 between the Reds and Angels and hit .215 with six homers. He’s currently hitting .184 with three homers at Triple-A Charlotte, and he is a lefty bat with speed who has mostly played center field.
STEVEN SOUZA JR.
A reclamation project that might be perfect for reclamation in New York? Souza missed all of 2019 after tearing up his knee, and made it back last season to play in 11 games for the Cubs. He’s hitting just .190 in Triple-A with the Dodgers this year, but LA is about to have a crowded outfield again, so this could be a chance for Souza to get back to the bigs again and take over right field in the short term in Queens.
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