Reese Kaplan -- What's on Second?

Abbott:  Well, let's see, we have on the bags, Who's on first, What's on second, I Don't Know is on third...

Word came down from the front office during Monday’s doubleheader sweep that Robinson Cano’s hamstring injury is actually a tear.  This revelation suggests a season-ending rehabilitation.  Many who were, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about the trade that brought Cano here are probably cheering addition by subtraction.  Others will point out his recent at-bats that were more productive than what we’ve seen during most of the year.  Either way, the fact remains that the Mets now must face being up the river without a “Cano” paddle.

What the Mets do have are a dizzying array of options to address this situation in-house.  They range from players already on the 25-man roster, players on the 40-man roster and players who would need to be added to it.  Let’s have a look at the possibilities.

Jeff McNeil

In any other season the answer would be a simple one.  Allow Jeff McNeil to occupy the position he played when he made his rookie debut.  Case closed.  You get a batting average leader with surprising power of late able to hold down the fort with arguably better range and agility than the man he replaces.  The problem here is that McNeil has made himself into a credible outfielder and with the season-long injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Nimmo, plus the vague “stress reaction” Dominic Smith has in his right foot.  Sportswriters on Twitter have said he’ll be out all of August and into September if he returns at all.  That leaves the Mets woefully thin in the outfield when both Juan Lagares and Aaron Altherr cannot even muster the offensive output of a pitcher. 

Adeiny Hechavarria

The flashy glove man came up with something of an offensive bang, but over the course of his tenure has quickly reverted not only to his replacement level player averages, but actually dipped below them.  He’s only slightly more productive than a Juan Lagares and sending him out there every day would be sacrificing one of the 8 offensive spots in the batting order.  He's hitting an anemic .210.

Luis Guillorme

Unlike Hechavarria and others, Guillorme has never even had a solid week of starting in the majors.  Some say he’s a left handed Ruben Tejada in that he’s known more for his glove than his bat, has limited power and limited speed.  He was hitting .307 in AAA (not inflated by the PCL) and is well over .280 for his minor league career.  He’d seem a better bet for potential than Hechavarria who has proven over a long period of time what he’s not capable of doing offensively.

Dilson Herrera

The young second baseman seemingly has been around forever but he is still just 25.  He is also not on the Mets 40-man roster.  He’s only hitting .250, but has already clubbed 22 HRs and driven in 48 for Syracuse.  2^nd base is his natural position and perhaps his launch angle conversion will translate to some power in the big leagues this time around.

Ruben Tejada

Another reclamation project, Tejada is enjoying by far his best season at any level upstate this year with the AAA squad.  He’s hitting a robust .343 with 6 HRs and 35 RBIs while not stealing bases but getting on base at a .421 clip.  The problem is over his career in the majors which started back in 2010 he’s just a .251 hitter with 10 HRs and 158 RBIs over the equivalent of about 4 seasons of playing full time.  To give you an idea of the magnitude of the ineptitude, Hechavarria has provided .252/33/256 in about the same amount of playing time.  Could something have clicked or is it just a AAA phenomenon in the mold of Eric Campbell? 

Danny Espinosa

The switch-hitting former Washington Nationals shortstop can play 2B and the OF as well.  He has provided a lot of run production for Syracuse with 15 HRs and 68 RBIs while hitting .259.

Arismendy Alcantara

Although you could make the argument he would be a huge upgrade over the current 4^th and 5^th outfielders on the Mets roster, he is having a very nice season in AAA, hitting .298 with 9 HRs, 35 RBIs and 8 SBs over just 232 ABs.  By contrast, Espinosa has been up nearly 200 times more.  The switch-hitting Alcantara has played a significant number of innings at SS, 2B and the OF.  

Jed Lowrie

Remember him?  He’s yet to partake in baseball activities due to a myriad of issues ranging from his hip to his knee and places in-between.  Still, now would be a good time for this professional player to suck it up and return to playing games.

Gavin Cecchini

Remember when Terry Collins insisted on playing Jose Reyes rather than seeing what Cecchini could do?  I guess we’ll never know since injuries have certainly forestalled his career.  He does have 133 ABs in the minors this year but is undistinguished hitting just .233.

The only clear answer I see here is NOT to play Jeff McNeil at 2B as it would force Aaron Altherr or Juan Lagares into a starting role.  That, of course, means it's exactly what Mickey Callaway will do since he's not exactly know for his managerial smarts.  

A lot of the others are pure rolls of the dice.  Guillorme is a great unknown.  Tejada, Alcantara, Herrera and Hechavarria have all stumbled in the big leagues.  Espinosa is an all-or-nothing one-trick-pony who strikes out often enough that his HRs might not compensate for it.  The two walking wounded can’t be penciled in reliably.

What are you thoughts?