WASHINGTON -- The baseball rested on a shelf in Matt Reynolds' locker, ticketed for a spot in his father's collection back home in Oklahoma. Reynolds collected his first career hit in the fifth inning of the Mets' 2-0 win over the Nationals on Wednesday, lining a single to right field.
He was still beaming afterward.
"I pretty much give everything meaningful to our dad to store in our house," Reynolds said.
Playing sparingly since joining the Mets earlier this month, and often against strong opposing starters, the Mets' No. 9 prospect -- as ranked by MLBPipeline -- was 0-for-6 in his career prior to the single. He earned a spot in Wednesday's lineup only because starting shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera departed in the first inning due to back spasms.
• Asdrubal expected to be OK after back spasms
Before Wednesday's 1-for-3 performance, Reynolds' claim to fame was a seven-game stint on the bench during last year's National League Division and Championship Series. An injury replacement for Ruben Tejada, Reynolds did not appear in a postseason game, but he received an NL championship ring for his efforts.
Now, he has a souvenir from Nationals Park to go along with it.
"I wasn't stressing or anything, but it's just nice to get it out of the way," Reynolds said.