NEW YORK -- Mets general manager Sandy Alderson took full responsibility Tuesday for the Mets' two-month slide down the standings, which has seen them fall from the National League's best record to one of its three worst.
Addressing a wide range of topics over 37 minutes, Alderson pinned much of the club's problems on an offense ranking last in runs per game since the start of May.
"When you're scoring runs at the anemic rate that we have, something hasn't worked," Alderson said. "From that standpoint, I take total responsibility for where we are. I'm not happy about it. But at the same time, the job now is to figure out how to fix it and improve it.
"We are focused on getting the team back to where it was many weeks ago."
The Mets made the first move toward that end late Sunday night, releasing struggling first baseman Adrian Gonzalez and calling up Dominic Smith from Triple-A Las Vegas. Alderson explained that move as a function both of Gonzalez's issues and Smith's potential, though he cautioned that the Mets aren't likely to improve unless other slumping players -- such as Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto -- break out of their funks.
In that vein, while Alderson did not dismiss the possibility of demoting Conforto to the Minors, he called the Mets' lone 2017 All-Star a critical part of what the team is trying to accomplish at the big league level.
Alderson also dampened speculation that Jose Reyes could soon be released, opining that the Mets have no worthwhile candidates to replace him on the bench. Reyes is batting .149 with a .415 OPS.
"We are committed to putting the best team that we can on the field, and these personnel decisions will be made on the merits," Alderson said. "To some extent, this is an indictment of other personnel. We have to have somebody that we want to replace him, that we think meets that threshold."
• Reliever AJ Ramos is considering surgery to repair the right shoulder injury that forced him to the disabled list in late May. Ramos, who can become a free agent after the season, will make that decision in the coming days.
"We certainly don't expect him back anytime soon," Alderson said.
• Noah Syndergaard sought a second opinion Tuesday afternoon on the strained ligament in his right index finger, which has sidelined him since May 25. The Mets have no timetable for Syndergaard's return.
"Nothing else has happened," Alderson said. "We want to make sure that the next step he takes and we take is the right one."
• The right quad soreness that knocked Yoenis Cespedes out of his Minor League rehab assignment last weekend continues to linger, according to Alderson, who could not provide an updated prognosis or timetable for Cespedes' return. The outfielder has not played since May 13.
• Among those injured Mets who are making progress is Wilmer Flores, who was scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday for Class A Advanced St. Lucie. Flores was in the lineup at third base, batting third.
• Mets prospects Peter Alonso (ranked No. 4) and Jeff McNeil are on the team's radar for promotions from Double-A Binghamton to Las Vegas, Alderson said, but not for immediate callups to the Majors. While Smith is currently blocking Alonso, a first baseman, at the big league level, there is less in the way of McNeil, an infielder. The latter is batting .333 with a 1.053 OPS at Binghamton, attempting to position himself as a viable alternative to Reyes on the Mets' bench.