NEW YORK -- Asked if he feels in his heart that he¡¯ll be ready for Opening Day, Mets reliever Dedniel Núñez did not hesitate.
¡°S¨ª,¡± N¨²?ez responded.
To provide a bit of tangible proof, the right-hander retired the side on 11 pitches in his Grapefruit League debut on Monday afternoon, hitting 98 mph on the radar gun during a 2-0 loss to the Rays at Clover Park. Though the Mets have considered N¨²?ez a healthy player this spring, they¡¯ve taken him along slowly after he missed nearly the entire second half due to a right pronator strain.
Ultimately, the decision will come down to the risk tolerance of Mets officials. If N¨²?ez doesn¡¯t make the Opening Day roster, he should be there very soon thereafter.
¡°I was very grateful to get back out there,¡± N¨²?ez said through an interpreter. ¡°I feel healthy, I feel strong. I¡¯m trying to avoid having any setbacks ... I¡¯m just trying to continue to push forward.¡±
Big step
Monday was also an important day for Brandon Nimmo, who played left field in a Grapefruit League game for the first time this spring. Nimmo logged five innings in the field and expressed optimism afterward about his condition. He¡¯s been sidelined in recent weeks due to right knee soreness.
¡°I feel good about it,¡± Nimmo said. ¡°I felt like I was moving really well, and what we¡¯re doing in the training room is really helping out.¡±
Crisis averted
Designated hitter Jesse Winker exited Monday¡¯s game after one at-bat due to a right calf cramp, but he does not consider the issue serious. Winker expects to return to play soon after the Mets return from their off-day on Tuesday.
Not quite yet
Ronny Mauricio, the Mets¡¯ 10th-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline (and formerly their top overall prospect), will not play in any spring games.
That¡¯s a change from last month, when manager Carlos Mendoza said Mauricio would likely appear in Grapefruit League contests by mid-March. Mauricio has not suffered a setback, according to Mendoza; the Mets are simply acting as prudently as possible.
¡°He¡¯s getting close,¡± Mendoza said of a player who has undergone two knee surgeries over the last 16 months. ¡°When is that going to be? I¡¯m not sure. What I know is he continues to follow the program, continues to go through full activities. He¡¯s responding well.¡±
Mauricio will remain in Port St. Lucie when the Mets break camp next week.
Rotation battle
Griffin Canning struck out nine batters over 4 2/3 innings against the Rays, giving him 14 punchouts over his past two outings. Last year, only three qualified Major Leaguers had a lower strikeout rate than Canning¡¯s 6.82 per nine innings. He credits the uptick mostly to better sequencing.
¡°I just wasn¡¯t setting guys up to strike out,¡± Canning said of his 2024 season. ¡°I think it was just getting back to myself, understanding what my pitch mix is, what pitches I¡¯m going to lean on, and then how to deviate when I need to.¡±
Currently, Canning and Tylor Megill are the favorites to round out the rotation. Mets officials have discussed moving Paul Blackburn, who allowed two runs over four innings in the other half of the Mets¡¯ split squad, to the bullpen. But they won¡¯t finalize decisions until the final days of camp.
If things proceed as currently aligned, a source said, the Mets stand a good chance of beginning the year with a rotation of Clay Holmes, Megill, Canning, David Peterson and Kodai Senga in that order.
Hello, old friend
Mike Vasil saved his finest start of spring for New York. Vasil, an ex-Mets prospect whom the Rays selected in December¡¯s Rule 5 Draft, blanked his former team over three innings, featuring a six-pitch mix and a fastball that ran as hot as 95 mph.
Vasil came into the day with an 8.22 ERA, however, making his future uncertain. If the Rays don¡¯t keep him on their active roster or injured list all season, they¡¯ll be required to offer him back to the Mets.
¡°Until the day that you sign a legitimate contract, the way I view it is my job every day is never going to be safe,¡± Vasil said. ¡°You could always get optioned. You could always get traded. So for me, understanding that and really just focusing on playing baseball is probably the most important thing.¡±
Tampa Bay, which some around the game have playfully nicknamed ¡°Mets South,¡± also employs former New York farmhands Eric Orze, Nate Lavender, Cole Sulser, Keyshawn Askew and Jake Mangum.
Camp cuts
The Mets reassigned five more players to Minor League camp on Monday: infielders Luis De Los Santos and Joey Meneses, catcher Chris Williams, right-hander Sean Reid-Foley and lefty Anthony Gose.
De Los Santos had been fighting for one of two open infield jobs, which will now go to some combination of Brett Baty, Luisangel Acu?a (No. 7 prospect) and Donovan Walton. Reid-Foley and Gose were long-shots to make the bullpen, while Williams stood behind Hayden Senger and Jakson Reetz in the race to become the backup catcher.
Forty-four players remain in camp. The Mets are likely to take 30 or so with them to Houston for Opening Day, before cutting down to their final 26.