NEW YORK -- The Mets have lost a player at a position they could most afford to lose one.
Matt Adams exercised a release clause in his contract on Saturday, becoming a free agent. But the team remains well-covered at first base, with Pete Alonso and Dominic Smith primed to monopolize playing time there in 2020. Smith also remains the team’s primary left-handed pinch-hitter -- a role that Adams could have shared had he remained in Flushing.
Instead, Adams will try to hook on elsewhere as the Mets move forward without him. An eight-year veteran who won a World Series ring with the Nationals last season, Adams is Major League Baseball’s active leader with 11 pinch-hit home runs. A classic “three true outcomes” player, he hit .226 with 20 homers, 20 walks and 115 strikeouts in 333 plate appearances last season, before hooking on with the Mets over the winter as a Minor League free agent.
“It was a little bit of a surprise,” manager Luis Rojas said of Adams’ departure. “Obviously, working with him from the first camp, having a guy like Matt around with everything that he brings, his history … it’s a little bit of a surprise. But us having the depth that we have too at first base … we have a lot of coverage there.”
In addition to Alonso and Smith, the Mets have asked veteran outfielder Melky Cabrera to take some reps at first base this summer, though it’s unlikely he would play there outside of an emergency.
No Jed
Ailing infielder Jed Lowrie will not be available for either of the Mets’ exhibition games this weekend against the Yankees. Lowrie did not play in any Spring Training games in February or March. He has participated in intrasquad games at Citi Field this month, but still lacks the mobility to play in exhibitions against other teams, according to Rojas.
Rojas stopped short of saying Lowrie would be unavailable on Opening Day, but with only six days remaining, his climb appears steep.
“We’ll have to reassess on that,” Rojas said. “Every day, there’s a progression with him. We want to see some more of that progression, and how he responds, and then we can reassess for the season or for games like this.”
Offensively, Lowrie seems relatively unaffected by the left side issues that limited him to eight plate appearances last season. He notably doubled off Jacob deGrom in a simulated game this spring, and has collected hits off multiple other pitchers. The problem is his ability to play the field and run the bases wearing a sizeable brace on his left leg; so far, Lowrie has proven unable to do so at big league speed.
“He looks really good at the plate,” Rojas said. “We’re really pleased on how he’s looked -- his plate discipline, his hitting ability all is there. He’s working really hard every day to perform, to compete in the intrasquad games that we had. But there’s still a progression for us to see him at this point in this type of game.”
Lining them up
Two regulars were missing from the Mets’ lineup Saturday, but Rojas said both Jeff McNeil and Wilson Ramos were receiving routine off-days and should play at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Both had been starting daily and playing well in intrasquad games; Ramos in particular homered on Thursday and Friday.
Also notable from Saturday’s lineup card was the fact that Rojas slotted Robinson Canó third. Despite hitting .229 as a No. 3 hitter last season, Canó hit there more often than in any other spot last season, and could be third again come Opening Day.
“He definitely features well to hit third in the lineup,” Rojas said. “We are getting a feel for each [guy] to hit in different spots. But he should be in the middle of the lineup. That’s what we foresee.”
All systems go
A day after throwing a bullpen session at Citi Field, deGrom experienced no abnormal soreness in his back or arm. He remains on track to throw a simulated game Sunday at Citi Field, starting opposite Walker Lockett against a group of Mets hitters.
Assuming deGrom comes out of that fine, he will start Opening Day against the Braves on Thursday. deGrom had left his last intrasquad start after only one inning due to back tightness, but an MRI was negative and deGrom has been feeling better since.
Up next
The Mets and Yankees will move to the Bronx on Sunday for the second of two interborough exhibitions. That game will begin at 7:05 p.m. ET, with right-hander Corey Oswalt squaring off against Yankees lefty Jordan Montgomery. Oswalt is one of the Mets’ depth starter options beyond their five-man rotation. Watch the game live on MLB.TV and MLB Network.