The one who plays outside Mike Tauchman he is in camp with the Mets on a minor league deal. If the club doesn’t offer him a roster spot at the end of camp, he can look for opportunities elsewhere. Will Samson of The Athletic reports that Tauchman has a March 25 opt-out from that deal. The Mets start the season on March 26.
The Mets have two outfield positions in question. Juan Soto it will be in left field again Luis Robert Jr. in the middle of nowhere. The right field job seemed to be left open by design, as the Mets wanted to provide hope Carson Benge opportunity to find a place. Benge has yet to make his league debut, so the club needed to have emergency plans. Tyrone Taylor he’s on the roster and can move up but he could also be a good fit as a first baseman. Brett Baty will be in the role of great help and will be in the mix as well. Tauchman was brought in to give the Mets another option without taking a roster spot. MJ Melendez added to the roster but has an option remaining and could be sent to Triple-A.
Benge is doing his best to get the job, with a .367/.406/.433 line this spring so far. That’s topped off by an uncontrollable .440 batting average on balls in play but encouraging nonetheless. Tauchman puts up even better numbers. With a .400 BABIP, he has a .333/.481/.619 line in the spring so far.
Sammon floats the idea of both players cracking the roster but also notes that it may not be realistic. With Francisco Lindor trending toward being ready on Opening Day, the lineup is tight. Backup handler Luis Torrens it will have one of four benches. Taylor and Mark Vientos there are no options and there should be two more. The last spot could go to a backup player like Ronny Mauricio.
Mauricio still has an option remaining, so the Mets can send him to Triple-A and add Tauchman to the bench. Doing so would leave them without a bench player, so the Mets would have to be comfortable with rotating the starting lineup. Second baseman Marcus Semien and third baseman Bo Bichette both are former shortstops, with Bichette being the everyday guy there as recently as last year. Baty can play second and third. Vientos gives them some cover in the hot corner. Jorge Polanco expected to play first base but also has recent experience at second and third.
It’s unknown how the Mets feel about that bounce but they may not feel comfortable without Mauricio in the mix. If sent down to Triple-A, he could get regular playing time, which he hasn’t had in a long time. He missed 2024 with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Last year, he was still working on that knee to start the year and was kept on the bench when he was healthy. Vidal Bruján he is only on the roster and has no options but the Mets may try to get him off waivers.
If the Mets can’t find a replacement for Tauchman, they can find one elsewhere. He is not a superstar but he has been solid for the last three years. Since the start of 2023, he has a combined .255/.359/.381 line, which translates to a 111 wRC+. He doesn’t have much power but he has drawn walks at a solid 13% clip, while keeping his strikeouts down to a 21.3% clip. His defensive grades were strong as well. FanGraphs credited him with 4.1 wins over innings in 310 games during that span.
Despite solid production, teams have been reluctant to invest in him. The Cubs did not tender him after 2024 despite a $2.9MM salary projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. He spent 2025 with the White Sox and had another respectable campaign but was again non-tendered, with Swartz posting a salary of $3.4MM.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
