Tauchman said he was going to make his case to Mets -- and so far, so good

9:44 PM UTC

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- So far, so good for in the Mets’ outfield competition.

Tauchman hit a three-run homer in his first Grapefruit League at-bat of the Mets’ 6-6 draw vs. the Astros on Tuesday, pulling a Jason Alexander changeup just over the right-field fence. In his second plate appearance, he drew a six-pitch walk off J.P. France.

Although spring statistics only matter so much as the Mets weigh their right-field options, an early home run or two can’t hurt Tauchman, who’s in camp on a nonguaranteed Minor League deal.

“Results are great,” Tauchman said. “I’m happy to put a good swing on the ball, and I was pretty happy with the other at-bat, too. So that was great. But it’s the first game. We’re not even into March yet, so I’ve just got to keep going and fine-tune things and try and get ready for a season.”

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At 35, Tauchman signed with the Mets in large part because of the opportunity that president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza promised him. That doesn’t mean a guaranteed roster spot, but it does mean a real chance to upend No. 2 prospect Carson Benge -- as well as incumbent 40-man roster denizens Tyrone Taylor and Brett Baty -- for the starting right-field gig. It also means regular opportunities to appear in games as he looks to state his case.

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“It’s been great,” Tauchman said of his early days in camp. “They’ve been true to their word.”

An eight-year Major League veteran who’s also played in Korea, Tauchman is coming off a season that saw him hit nine home runs with a .756 OPS over 93 games for the White Sox. Over the offseason, however, he did not receive any guaranteed Major League offers, so he waited until February to sign a Minor League contract with the Mets.

“I am under no illusion that I’m not getting older and a little bit probably toward the end of my career,” he said. “So the opportunity to play on a team that I believe has a chance to make a deep playoff run and do some special things appealed to me. I also think that my skillset works a little bit more on a team like that, because I have experience playing every day, coming off the bench. I’ve pretty much done every single role somebody at my position can do in this game. I think I’ve done them at a fairly decent level. So that all went into the decision.”