JD Davis will likely have to maintain his productive baton to stay regularly in the Mets lineup in what could soon become a logjam of position players once midfielders Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez return from the roster. of injured.
As Jeff McNeil’s one-month fall continued, Davis led the Mets ’run in a 4-1 loss Thursday night in Los Angeles. The night before, he also raised a key sacrifice in the ninth inning to tie the game before the Mets scored four in the 12th to end the five-game losing streak with a 6-2 victory in San Francisco.
After hitting .211 (12 vs. 57) in his first 23 games after a ten-week stint on the injured roster, Davis has now scored 11 times in his last 10 games, hitting .324 during that stretch.
“He’s looked better, I think his final positions are much better, the swing path, everything. He’s getting to the ball,” Luis Rojas said of Davis. “He is taking a little more than he was when we saw him swing [piches] repeatedly “.
Davis, 28, started two home runs in his first outing in the IL on July 17 against the Pirates, looking as if he had regained the spot where he stopped by beating .395 with an OPS of 1,120 in the April before suffering a left injury on May 1 in Philadelphia.
Rojas said Thursday that McNeil will likely see some action in the third and possibly left field once Baez (second baseman) and Lindor (short) return from IL to form a new double-play combination. McNeil is hitting just 0.167 in August (11-for-66), however, after being unsuccessful on four trips Thursday with two bouts.
“He got into good accounts … but then he missed a few pitches,” Rojas said. “We have to work on his approach, where he is able to drive the ball. … He’s a guy who can click fast because he’s a good hitter, a natural hitter. We will continue to work with him. “
Davis also made his fourth mistake in 40 games (38 starts) this season at third base during the Dodgers ’fifth inning of both streets, throwing the ball after making a diving stab to Chris Taylor’s field single.
“JD has been playing very well in third. And he’s been one of our best players, so it’s going to be hard to get JD out of training, ”Rojas said.“ So we’ve been working with Mac to keep us alert. … So you can go out and get it. some repetitions in the left field. “