LOS ANGELES -- Jared Young's feel-good start to the season hit a major snag this week, when the 30-year-old was diagnosed with a torn meniscus in his left knee. The team placed Young on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday, calling up outfielder MJ Melendez from Triple-A Syracuse to replace him.
Young will require surgery and miss 6-8 weeks, according to manager Carlos Mendoza.
Young, a surprise addition to the Opening Day roster, had carved out a niche as a first baseman and left fielder against right-handed pitching, particularly with Juan Soto on the IL. Young strung together a series of productive games early this season, including an April 5 performance in San Francisco in which he went 3-for-3 and made a pair of strong defensive plays.
But when the Mets faced a right-hander in the Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday in Los Angeles, Young ceded his lineup spot to Mark Vientos. He had been feeling knee discomfort since Sunday. Testing that day revealed a meniscus tear.
“He’s given us some good at-bats from the left side,” Mendoza said. “It’s a big blow, obviously, but guys will step up.”
To replace Young, the Mets called up Melendez, a 27-year-old who signed a split contract worth up to $1.5 million in base salary over the winter. Melendez jumped out to a fast start this spring but never reestablished himself after leaving to play a bench role for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. He subsequently reported to Triple-A, where he was slashing .216/.286/.431 in 14 games before getting the call.
Although the Mets could have called on Ronny Mauricio instead, they chose Melendez because of his defensive versatility -- he can play all three outfield spots -- and because they want Mauricio to receive everyday at-bats in the Minors. But the situation, Mendoza said, is fluid.
Some of that could depend upon infielder Jorge Polanco, who was out of the lineup Wednesday for the first time in five games, after missing two games last week due to continued pain in his left Achilles. After Polanco received an updated diagnosis of bursitis, Mets officials became optimistic that he could avoid an IL stint. That optimism has since faded.
The Mets will reevaluate Polanco before Friday’s series opener against the Cubs.
“Still on the table,” Mendoza said of a potential IL stint. “I’m not going to lie. We’ll see where we’re at … by the time we get to Chicago, and if we decide to go that route, I’m pretty sure we will.”