PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Throughout Spring Training, Mets officials have been reluctant to handicap roster competitions, noting frequently that unexpected factors can change things in a hurry.
One such factor revealed itself in the middle innings on Saturday, when outfielder Mike Tauchman began experiencing visible discomfort in his left knee. A subsequent MRI exam revealed a torn meniscus, manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters on Sunday. The injury will require surgery, ending Tauchman’s chances of making the team and seemingly ensuring Carson Benge’s place on the roster.
Tauchman appeared hobbled running out of the box on a third-inning groundout on Saturday, then again while pursuing a Yainer Diaz double in the top of the fourth. An inning later, Tauchman attempted to take the field but could not, pulling himself from the game -- a 7-5 loss to the Astros at Clover Park.
“It got to a point where he couldn’t do it anymore,” Mendoza said. “The trainers kind of knew as soon as he came out, right away.”
Tauchman underwent the MRI exam, which revealed the tear, on Saturday afternoon. This will be his second knee surgery in six months; he tore the meniscus in his right knee last September and underwent a similar operation.
Tauchman, Benge and Vidal Bruján had been battling for the final two spots on New York’s roster, with Benge seemingly taking a recent lead given his strong Grapefruit League play. Now, Benge is the obvious choice to start in right field, with Bruján likely claiming a bench spot, though the Mets have yet to announce anything officially. That won’t happen, Mendoza indicated, until after the team breaks camp on Monday.
Team officials still plan to scour the waiver wire this week to see if additional help emerges.
The Mets signed the 35-year-old Tauchman on Feb. 19 for just that reason: to augment their outfield depth. The move also created competition for Benge, the organization’s No. 2 prospect, who entered Sunday’s spring finale batting .368 in Grapefruit League play. Both players impressed Mets officials, with Tauchman showcasing a keen batting eye and some extra-base pop. He finished his spring with one homer, three doubles, four walks and an .819 OPS in 13 spring games.
“This is a guy that was pretty much in the mix,” Mendoza said. “But we feel good with the options that we got here. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of guys that are playing well. And we know injuries happen. It sucks for him, and obviously for the team. But we still feel pretty good with the guys that we got here.”
That’s in large part because of Benge, who has played strong right-field defense in addition to his production at the plate.
“He looks like a big leaguer,” Mendoza said. “It’s not so much his results. We don’t put too much into results in Spring Training. It’s just the at-bat quality, his ability to make adjustments from pitch to pitch, whether it’s lefties, righties. The engagement on defense … it’s just the overall awareness of his game has been pretty impressive.”