Mets expecting Luisangel Acuña to have 'huge role' in 2025
While the Mets' projected lineup for Opening Day doesn't currently feature highly-touted prospect Luisangel Acuña, it appears that the team has no intentions of restricting his opportunities to play at the major league level this coming season.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza shared expectations for Acuña during Amazin' Day on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field, revealing that the 22-year-old is among the youngsters who'll compete for a roster spot in spring training. But that's not all -- Mendoza set the bar particularly high for Acuña.
"He's going to have a big role, he's going to have a huge role," Mendoza said. "I said [Jeff] McNeil is going to be a big part of our team -- Luisangel is right there too. We keep saying that the young players are going to get opportunities. Luisangel will get his. He's taking ground balls at third base, so he's a part of that mix. He showed us that he can play at this level, and he'll continue to get opportunities."
Acuña, who made his MLB debut last September and provided the Mets a much-needed spark in just 14 games, showcased his talents even further this offseason. The speedy utilityman thrived in the Venezuelan Winter League, slashing .337/.419/.495 with three home runs, five doubles, 18 stolen bases, and 17 RBI across 31 games.
Carlos Mendoza says Luisangel Acuña will have a "huge role" on the 2025 Mets➡️ Tri-State @Cadillac pic.twitter.com/O7BVutSvB1
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 25, 2025
His cup of coffee in Queens and positive impact also came at an opportune time, as the Mets forced Acuña into action while Francisco Lindor recovered from a back injury. In his brief big league stint, Acuña produced an impressive .966 OPS with six extra-base hits in 40 plate appearances, and offered steady defense up the middle.
At the moment, Acuña's role in 2025 is undetermined. By taking reps at third base, he's joined Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio as in-house options for the hot corner, assuming the Mets don't retain slugger Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos becomes a candidate for first base. As far as second base, Acuña is competing with the veteran McNeil.
A strong showing in camp will only boost Acuña's status, though Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns took the time to laud him during a panel conversation at Citi Field on Saturday.
"For Acuna to come up and step right in -- let's put the offensive contributions to the side for a second -- to play that type of defense he did in such high-leverage situations, really impressive," Stearns said. "For a young player to come up in that situation, first time in the big leagues, to do what he did speaks really positively about what he can do in the future."
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