Any hope that promising rookie outfielder Nick Morabito could offer a spark for the struggling New York Mets’ offense disappeared on Tuesday when it was learned that the club had elected to option him to Triple-A Syracuse.
Before the Mets fell to 22-33 on the season via a 7-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds, New York manager Carlos Mendoza shared what he said to Morabito regarding the disappointing demotion.
Mets wanted Nick Morabito to play every day
“Just continue to play,” Mendoza said about his message to Morabito, per Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media. “I think that’s the biggest thing. There’s a lot to like about the player. We saw flashes of his defense, the speed, but he’s gotta play every day. There’s no reason for him to be here playing once every two or three days, just waiting on lefties.”
In his official MLB debut last week, Morabito misplayed a fly ball hit to deep left field on a play that resulted in Washington Nationals slugger James Wood recording a remarkable inside-the-park grand slam that sparked the Nationals to a come-from-behind win over the Mets. Morabito then failed to produce bounce-back performances at the plate, as he went 0-for-11 with nine strikeouts before he was sent down.
Meanwhile, the Mets have now failed to score more than two runs over their last six games and have lost five in a row.
Mets hope to see Nick Morabito back soon?
“He got a taste,” Mendoza added about Morabito. “He knows what it’s like here at the big-league level, and he knows how important he is for this organization. The messaging is, ‘Keep going over there. We’ll see you back here.'”
One can only guess when Morabito may return to the last-place team that reportedly could embrace a fire-sale mentality if it continues to show no real sign that it will turn things around before the All-Star break. Mendoza’s side will next look to stop the bleeding and end its latest losing streak when the Mets finish their home series versus the 29-25 Reds on Wednesday night.