NEW YORK -- Whack! Whack! Whack!
The steady sound coming from the tunnel adjacent to the visiting dugout at Citi Field on Saturday afternoon had countless people walking over to see what was going on. What they saw was Marlins first base and outfield coach Keith Johnson hitting a first baseman's glove against the wall and pummeling it into the ground with a bat in the hopes of breaking it in.
When Jesús Sánchez and Jesús Aguilar landed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons on Friday, Miami recalled first baseman Lewin Díaz and outfielder Jerar Encarnacion from Triple-A Jacksonville. The pair arrived around 15 minutes before first pitch, but without Díaz's equipment bag.
In the sixth inning of Friday’s 10-4 loss to the Mets, Díaz pinch-hit for designated hitter Willians Astudillo. He struck out in his first at-bat, then doubled to lead off the eighth using teammate Bryan De La Cruz's bat. He planned on using it again on Saturday because his bag was still missing. He thinks it may be in Charlotte, N.C.
"It's not easy," Díaz said via an interpreter. "Once you get here, you want to play the game -- you don't have your stuff, you have to borrow equipment, so it's not easy. It messes with the rhythm there. I'm still waiting for my bag."
The test got tougher on Saturday, with Díaz starting at first base. Manager Don Mattingly, who was a nine-time Gold Glove-winning first baseman during his career, initially lent the left-handed Díaz his outfield glove. But a local Rawlings sent over a new glove that Díaz used in the 3-2 loss. Of course the ball found him immediately when leadoff batter Brandon Nimmo sent a grounder his way for the first out of the first inning.
Known for being a premium defender, Díaz played just 258 2/3 innings at first base in 2021 and still tied Gold Glove winner Paul Goldschmidt (1,313 innings) with an MLB-high nine defensive runs saved. When Díaz is in the lineup as part of favorable matchups, he will certainly field.
"Defensively, I don't know if there's any adjustments," Mattingly said. "[Díaz is] really, really good at first base. He plays that well. I think you can tell he's comfortable."
Díaz, who has gone back and forth between the Majors and Minors since 2020, has slashed .195/.233/.396 with seven doubles, one triple and eight homers in 172 MLB plate appearances entering Saturday. There is no telling how long Aguilar will be out. Both Aguilar and Garrett Cooper have stood between Díaz and a regular Major League first base job. That pair have a time share between first and DH.
"I just want to show that I can be a guy that can play this sport for many years on this level," Díaz said. "If I get [sent] down later, I'm OK with that. I just want to show that I can do that, I can play here."