Mets Tidbits
- David Wright is scheduled to make his first Grapefruit League appearance Friday night against the Washington Nationals at Tradition Field. It is unclear if he will be playing in the field, or strictly a DH. Regardless of where he is playing, it’s great to see Wright out there ready to play.
- Steven Matz is scheduled to pitch after Jacob deGrom on Thursday afternoon, when the Mets head back to Jupiter to play the Miami Marlins.
- Jim Henderson has reportedly impressed Mets officials and coaches this spring with his performance thus far. Henderson has only allowed 1 ER in 5 innings, with 7 strikeouts. Henderson’s velocity has seemed to return as well, as his fastball has been clocked at 95 mph this spring. The Mets may opt to not carry a long-reliever if Henderson makes the team out of Spring Training, as the Mets have 4 off days, the first 2 weeks of the season.
- Aside from Matt Reynolds, Alejandro De Aza may benefit the most from the recent release of Ruben Tejada. De Aza who has been drawing significant interest from other teams, could be retained by the Mets as their best bat off the bench. De Aza also would be a proven veteran off the bench, that the Mets could count on now that Tejada is gone. I don’t see De Aza being moved before Opening Night unless the Mets receive an offer they can’t refuse.
- Chicago White Sox DH/1B and bonafide Mets killer Adam LaRoche is reportdily set to retire, citing personal reasons. The White Sox have given LaRoche a few days to mull over the descion before it becomes official. Ken Rosenthal reported this afternoon that the White Sox  front office no longer wanted LaRoche’s 14 year old son hanging out in the clubhouse, and as a regular fixture with the team which may be the personal reason LaRoche is citing. LaRoche ranks fourth among active players with 29 career home runs against the Mets, and was set to face the Mets when the White Sox come to Citi Field for a series the last week of May.
Above The Mendoza 