bo bichette mets shortstop plans changed Sunday when the New York Mets placed Ronny Mauricio on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left thumb. Vidal Brujan was added from Triple-A Syracuse, and the club now has to manage a shortstop mix that is built around health and matchups rather than one fixed starter.
Mauricio's Thumb Fracture
Mauricio, 25, was hurt in Saturday’s game against the Los Angeles Angels when he dived into first base in the seventh inning while beating out an infield single. He stayed on base, but he did not return to shortstop in the bottom of the inning.
Before Sunday’s series finale, Carlos Mendoza said the injury could keep him out as long as two months. “So he’s going to get a CT scan (Monday), but regardless of the severity, what they’re saying is it is going to be six to eight weeks,” Mendoza said.
Mauricio had been batting.219 in 10 games this season, and he hit his first home run of the year in Friday’s series opener. That gave the Mets one more offense note before the thumb injury forced a roster move that took him off the active picture.
Brujan Joins The Infield Plan
The Mets selected Brujan’s contract from Triple-A Syracuse and designated Eric Wagaman for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster. Brujan is set to make his Mets debut after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins in January.
Brujan arrives with a.199 career batting average, five home runs and 48 RBIs in 261 career games across four different clubs. He spent his first three seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2021 to 2023, and the Mets will now put that experience into a utility role right away.
Mendoza said he will use Bo Bichette and Brujan interchangeably at shortstop moving forward. “It will be matchup based when I want to get lefties in there and when I want righties and play some of the other guys around the field, whether it’s Tyrone (Taylor) or (Mark) Vientos against right-handed pitching,” he said. “But when it’s a tough matchup right-on-right, I also want to get in some of the lefties (including) Brujan.”
Mets Manage More Injuries
The shortstop plan comes while the Mets are also dealing with injuries to Jorge Polanco, Francisco Lindor and Luis Robert Jr. Mendoza said, “I don’t think anybody anticipated anything like that,” and added, “You know you’re going to face adversity, but to get hit with so many positions players, I don’t think you can prepare for something like this. But hey, nobody’s going to feel”
For the Mets, the immediate task is to keep shortstop covered while Mauricio waits out the CT scan and the six-to-eight-week recovery window. Brujan is in line to take on part of that load now, and Bichette’s role at the position will shift with the matchup instead of staying fixed.
