Q and A - Jose Reyes

Reese Kaplan asks –

How long would you give Jose Reyes before you declare he is no longer worthy of a roster spot?

David Rubin says –

I think it's obvious how far Reyes' skill set has eroded- timing his swing, cheating on ground balls during the rare chances he's getting in the field...some would want him around all season due to his second half recovery last season, his mentoring of Rosario, their emotional attachment to the player he was & who we want him to be...

The sad reality is that Jo-Se Jo-Se Jo-Se is taking a roster spot that should go to Gavin Cecchini or, even better, the smooth-fielding Luis Guillorme!! The team would be better-served bringing up one of these two younger players right now to continue the roster upgrade and give one of these two deserving youngsters their chance in the bigs.

No offense, Jose, thank you for your service & we wish you well in all of your future endeavors.

Tom Brennan says –

Reyes just stretched his roster spot security out indefinitely with 3 hits this past Saturday night.  If he had gone hitless, I would have given you another answer.  Callaway likes him, so Reyes' leash is a long one.

Mike Friere says -

I loosely addressed this "issue" in an article last week where I asked if Jose was becoming "that" guy and from the comments section, it seems that most of us are were agreement that his time as an effective ballplayer has come and gone.   At the time of the article he was 0-18 on the year, but he has since added three hits in six additional at bats (along with a stolen base), to move his stat line to 3 for 24.  Despite this "surge", I still don't see a rational reason to keep him around as an active member of the major league roster.

His performance, coupled with the "short bench" that Mickey Callaway prefers, really puts the team in a bind and further reduces the depth on the roster.

I will always be a fan, but the time has come and I think the sooner the Mets move on, the better.

Reese Kaplan says -

I think Jose Reyes certainly gets the majority of the season as no one in AAA is really making a statement that demands immediate promotion.  However, that can change when T.J. Rivera is deemed ready to play once again.  

Although Rivera doesn't have Reyes' speed, at this stage of the game that's about the only thing Reyes has left that's above average.  Yes, he did have a 3-hit game which was the law of averages after starting the season 0-20, but his defense is subpar and he's not hitting well enough to warrant too many more starting assignments even with Rosario's struggles. 

Mack says –

You all know how I feel about this.

I loved having Reyes on this team and I missed him when he was gone. I questioned his return last year, but he rewarded me with a strong finish in the season.

Still, I never anticipated Sandy and Company taking critical time away from Gavin Cecchini and bringing Reyes back.

I’m not going to change my opinion here no matter how many sporadic three hit games he has left in him. He’s a liability both with a bat in his hand and in the field.

I would release him immediately.