Interim Mets manager Andy Green spoke with reporters ahead of Saturday’s game against the Dodgers at Citi Field and hit on a few topics…
Jorge Polanco to play more in Soto’s absence
With Juan Soto landing on the IL with a Grade 2 calf strain, there will be everyday at-bats available for many on the Mets roster.
Green was asked about whether Luis Robert Jr. will receive the bulk of the DH at-bats in Soto’s absence and the Mets skipper said it will likely go to Polanco, at least in the short term.
“We’re still trying to get him back on the field and into rhythm,” Green said. “In the last week, Juan has taken quite a few of the DH at-bats and that’s stunted Polo’s ability to find some rhythm. We’re going to try to get him back into rhythm. He’s a guy we believe a lot in. Hopefully, as time goes on, we’ll get him to first base and then we’ll see where the DH at-bats get divvied up at that point.”
Polanco is in Saturday’s lineup as the Mets’ DH, which will be his position moving forward until, as Green said, he can tolerate his Achilles pain and play first base.
In just 23 games, Polanco is batting .161 with an OPS of .456 to go with his one home run and four RBI. Polanco has only played first base twice this season after suffering chronic left Achilles bursitis and a right wrist contusion, the latter putting him on the IL for nearly three months.
Mets unlucky with injuries in 2026
Soto’s latest IL stint is the third in which a Mets player had to miss time due to a calf injury.
Of course, Soto missed about three weeks with a Grade 1 right calf strain earlier in the year and Francisco Lindor missed nearly two months with a calf strain as well.
“It’s a frustrating set of circumstances,” Green said of the injuries that have plagued the team this year. “It feels unlucky, to a degree.”
Green was asked a number of ways about the organization’s medical and training staff and how they have handled these calf injuries this season. Green backed the staff and believes they have done their best.
“We look at every injury and my experience with the medical and training staff is that they are reflective,” Green explained. “They look at ways to improve in every situation. Baseball has this tendency to have a rash of elbow injuries for one team in a given year, and then a rash of lower-extremity injuries in another year. Then another year you’re looking at shoulder injuries.
“None of these is to excuse our responsibility to limit those as much as humanly possible, but I think if you look across the game, those trends exist. They‘re troubling for those who give their lives to keep people in the field of play. I can promise you our group is incredibly introspective and they want to keep these guys on the field and they’ll look back, just like any year, to see if there’s any adjustments to be better in that space.”
Latest on Clay Holmes
Fresh off his first rehab start, Holmes is set to throw a bullpen on Sunday and once he’s done, they’ll figure out the right-hander’s next steps.
While Green didn’t announce how many pitches he’ll throw in the bullpen session, he did hint that he believes Holmes will need at least one more rehab start before rejoining the team.
Holmes tossed 2.1 innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday, throwing 51 pitches in the process, but it seems the Mets will want to stretch Holmes out further this next time through. If Holmes does throw another rehab, he could potentially start for the Mets just before the trade deadline on Aug. 3, but with the trade rumors surrounding the veteran, he could be pitching for another team.
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