Jose Siri is going to be out for a while. The New York Mets announced on Monday that he suffered a fractured tibia. Siri fouled a ball off his shin Saturday against the Athletics, and while initial X-rays were negative, the MRI signaled the worst for the young centerfielder. It is going to be a long road back.
What Does This Mean for Siri?
He was in a trade from the Tampa Bay Rays this offseason but was struggling in the early going. He was only 1-of-20, but at least his defensive prowess and aggressive baserunning kept his starting role. The Mets will be missing a Gold-Glove-caliber defender in their outfield. That is not good. Especially with Juan Soto’s limited abilities with the glove.
Siri has not been known to hit the cover off the ball, with a career .207/.265/.403 slash. This makes his defense even more important to watch. It seems like his legs are the only thing keeping him at the Major League level, and he just broke one of them. Will he recover safely and correctly, and will he be able to be the same Siri the Mets need?
The Mets Without Siri
Tyrone Taylor is expected to roam center field in Flushing until Siri comes back. Taylor has experience playing that position during his tenure with the Mets. He also had a sluggish start to the year, sporting a mild .158 average and .390 OPS. Good thing that the guy in right field can easily pick up the slack on offense.
Soto and Pete Alonso have been doing what is expected of them. That is to mash. The “Polar Bear” is hitting the ball over the field with a .345 batting average and 1.137 OPS. Soto hasn’t been doing as well, only .250 and .829, but the impact of him just physically being there is more than enough.
