NEW YORK -- James Loney has had plenty of experience against the Mets over his 10-year career -- 162 at-bats, in fact. Monday afternoon, though, the veteran infielder stepped into the Citi Field clubhouse, slipped on a pair of blue and orange shorts and began lining the shelves of a locker holding the No. 28 jersey bearing his name.
The Mets acquired Loney from the Padres on Saturday for cash considerations. He is expected to be activated Tuesday and split time at first base with infielder Wilmer Flores.
"The Mets weren't really on my radar," Loney said. "There was a few other teams we were thinking about. Things lined up, and it's just meant to be here for me."
Since regular first baseman Lucas Duda was placed on the disabled list with a stress fracture in his back last week, New York has been scrambling for consistency at the position. Infielder Eric Campbell slid in as the immediate replacement before ceding to Flores, who started at first on Monday in the opener against the White Sox.
Loney, who boasts a career .285/.338/.411 slash line in parts of 10 Major League seasons, found success playing in Triple-A this year. In 43 games, he hit .342 and belted two homers for El Paso.
Earlier in his career, Loney was the Dodgers' and Rays' everyday first baseman. Now, he's just hoping to stick around for as long as he can.
Loney expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play with the Mets, and he said, "if they want to keep me, then that's their choice."