Duda gets nod at first base through weekend

NEW YORK -- Lucas Duda is officially the Mets' starting first baseman in an experiment that will last … at least until this weekend.

Manager Terry Collins assumed a softer tone when discussing his first-base situation Friday, saying that while Duda is the starter, both Ike Davis and Josh Satin will continue to play. Davis, for example, will start one of the Mets' three games this weekend against the Reds, instead of Duda receiving an uninterrupted run at the position. Satin will still start every so often against lefties.

Duda immediately helped his cause in the bottom of the fourth inning Friday night against the Reds, crushing a towering two-run home run to center field to give the Mets a 2-1 lead -- and then again in the bottom of the sixth with another a two-run home run, this one to right field, to give the Mets a 4-1 lead.

The goal is to keep all three first basemen on the Mets' roster sharp, all while awarding the lion's share of at-bats to Duda. But nothing is "etched in stone," Collins said, and "[Davis] may be the first baseman next week."

"I just didn't think it was fair to anybody coming to the ballpark every day not knowing what their role is," Collins said. "We want to see if Lucas Duda can be the first baseman. If he doesn't do it or we think he maybe doesn't play it the way we want it played, then he becomes a guy that can perhaps go to other positions. So we'll just see how it works out."

Yet a day after stating his intention to give one of his first basemen a lengthy opportunity to sink or swim, Collins was noncommittal in nearly every aspect of the situation. He would not -- or could not -- say how long this will last, how frequently Davis and Satin will play over Duda or what a successful run for Duda might even look like. All Collins committed to was giving Duda more playing time than his teammates -- something that had already happened over the first three games of the season.

"I'm sure there will be more adjusting as the season goes on," Davis said. "I'm not going to get too many at-bats, but eventually something will happen and I'll get a chance to play."

Collins also spent much of Friday's pregame talking about what might happen if Duda does not succeed in his new role. Even Duda, who entered the night 0-for-6 on the season, conceded that the situation could quickly devolve back into a time-share.

"Definitely I'm excited to play," Duda said. "This doesn't mean it's my job. I'll just go out there every day and see what happens."