• David Wright played in a minor league game this afternoon as the designated hitter and went 0-3 with a sacrifice fly. He is expected to join the Mets lineup tomorrow evening against the Washington Nationals. Manager Terry Collins has stated Wright will get the start at third base and not at DH, as he and Wright both believe he is ready to play in the field.

• Dilson Herrera who started at second base for Colombia in their opening WBC qualifier today, was 0-2 with an RBI, a run scored, and three walks this afternoon against Spain. Mets shortstop prospect Luis Guillorme was 0-5 for Spain this afternoon. Guillorme is currently ranked as the Mets 15th best prospect by MLB.com.

• Catcher Nevin Ashley was assigned to minor league camp this morning cutting the Mets roster down to 38 players. Johnny Monell is the favorite for the Mets backup catcher job right now, baring a trade, with Kevin Plawecki expected to head to AAA Las Vegas to receive regular playing time.

• ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin is reporting that New York City is close to approving a smokeless tobacco ban at ticketed sporting events. The ban would include players and spectators, and will affect both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. New York City would join Boston, Los Angeles, and San Fransisco, who have already passed similar bans.

• Washington Nationals number one prospect Lucas Giolito will get the nod as the starting pitcher to face the New York Mets tomorrow evening at Tradition Field. Giolito who is regarded as baseball’s top pitching prospect, has a 5.40 ERA with an 8/2 strikeout to walk split, in 3 games pitched this spring.

The New York Mets defeated the Miami Marlins this afternoon by the final score of 6-5 at Roger Dean Stadium. For a full boxscore recap follow the link below…

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2016_03_17_nynmlb_miamlb_1#game=2016_03_17_nynmlb_miamlb_1,game_tab=box,game_state=Wrapup

Game Notes:

• Jacob deGrom pitched 3 strong innings allowing 1 hit, no runs, and 3 strikeouts.
• Steven Matz pitched 4 innings after deGrom allowing 5 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts.
• Curtis Granderson was 2-3 with 3 RBI.
• Travis d’Arnaud who started behind the plate was 2-2 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored.
• Alejandro De Aza was 1-1 with 2 runs scored. He is hitting .455 this spring.
• Yoenis Cespedes was 1-2 with a run scored. He was hit by a Edwin Jackson pitch in the top of the 5th on the wrist and left the game. The latest word on Cespedes, is that he will be ok.

• Tomorrow night, the Mets host the Washington Nationals for a 6:05 pm et. start at Tradition Field. The game can be seen on SNY and heard on WOR 710 AM.

• Bartolo Colon will take the mound for the Mets, with a starter for the Nationals yet to be announced. David Wright will also be making his Grapefruit League debut for the Mets tomorrow evening.

Terry Collins announced Matt Harvey as the Mets Opening Night starting pitcher this morning.  Collins had stated multiple reasons for the decision, which included Harvey’s performance at the end of last season, and questions surrounding deGrom’s availability as his wife is expecting their first child together during the series against Kansas City. Continue reading →

• 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.

The New York Mets announced the release of shortstop Ruben Tejada this afternoon, after being unclaimed on waivers. The Mets are only responsible for $500,000 of Tejada’s $3 million salary, and Tejada is now free to sign anywhere.

Tejada surprisingly went unclaimed on waivers, but much of that was due to the $3 million  he was scheduled to make this season. You can expect there to be a quite a bit of interest on the open market for Tejada’s services. Tejada has heavily been linked to the St. Louis Cardinals due to their opening at short, but their interest has reportedly been overblown by the media. Now that Tejada doesn’t carry a salary of $3 million, I would expect them to make a play for him, as well as other teams who are looking to round out their bench.

Matt Reynolds should be a virtual lock for the Opening Night roster at this point, with Eric Campbell also possibly in the mix as well for a spot. Both players will be considered bench depth, with Wilmer Flores scheduled to be the starting shortstop on Opening Night in Kansas City, if Asdrubal Cabrera is still injured.

• Zack Wheeler threw off the top of a mound this afternoon for the first time since his Tommy John operation. Wheeler previously threw 10 pitches from the slope of the mound last week. This is a huge step in Wheeler’s rehab from Tommy John surgery, and he is still slated to make his return on July 1st.

• Right-handed reliever Erik Goeddel threw a second bullpen session this afternoon. He is going to have one more session before getting into game action, with game action as early as possibly Sunday according to ESPN New York’s Adam Rubin.

• David Wright took some swings in batting practice, back at the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie today off of rehabbing pitcher Josh Edgin. Wright’s next steps will be determined after he meets with Terry Collins. I still strongly believe we will see Wright on Friday in game action at Tradition Field.

• It is also good news to see left-handed reliever Josh Edgin getting some work in this afternoon. Edgin who was becoming a dominant lefty, missed the entire 2015 season, and is recovering from Tommy John surgery as well. He is expected back with the big club around May 1st.

• Sirius XM’S Robert Brender reported today that former Mets pitcher Vic Black has undergone arthroscopic shoulder surgery. Black who is currently a free agent, most likely will sit this season out and rehab, with a return in 2017 most likely.