Jorge Polanco, the veteran infielder for the New York Mets, still harbors aspirations of being the team's regular first baseman. To that end, Polanco indicated before the Mets' recent 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers that he intends to start taking ground balls again next week to build up his readiness for the position.
This season, Polanco has primarily served as the designated hitter due to limited availability stemming from ankle discomfort. He has not worked at first base for several weeks, having experienced a setback during his minor league rehabilitation assignment that restricted him to hitting drills. Polanco was acquired by the Mets on a two-year contract valued at $40 million with the expectation that he would be the team's starting first baseman. To date, he has played only two games at the position.
Despite the hiatus from first base duties, Polanco expressed confidence in his ability to adapt. "I feel better than when I first started taking ground balls at first base [in spring training]," he stated. "When I come back I just have to put the work in and I just want to stay positive that everything is going to work fine."
In other team news, Juan Soto received a day off, and interim manager Andy Green cited Soto's recent demanding schedule, which included representing the National League in the All-Star Game. Soto also dealt with calf discomfort following the All-Star break, though Green noted it was not inhibiting him and that he would be back in the lineup Friday.
Clay Holmes is scheduled to pitch three innings in a minor league rehabilitation start for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. This will be Holmes' first rehab start since being placed on the injured list in May with a fractured right fibula. He previously threw 45 pitches in a simulated game last Saturday.
During the game against the Brewers, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, and Brett Baty were in the outfield. Green mentioned that Luis Robert Jr. was not an option to play a third consecutive game in the outfield after returning from the injured list. Ewing went 2-for-4 in the game, extending his hitting streak to 11 games out of his past 14, during which he has posted a .317/.359/.533 slash line with three home runs and six RBIs. The Mets' record against the NL Central this season stands at 7-18.