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The Mets played their second exhibition game of spring training 2.0 on Sunday, and for a second straight night, Robinson Cano hit third. The 37-year-old was in the three-hole more than anywhere else in his first season in Queens and the results were not good, as Cano finished with a .633 OPS in 245 plate …
The Mets played their second exhibition game of spring training 2.0 on Sunday, and for a second straight night, Robinson Cano hit third.
The 37-year-old was in the three-hole more than anywhere else in his first season in Queens and the results were not good, as Cano finished with a .633 OPS in 245 plate appearances.
Though Cano’s past history says the second baseman is a good fit for the middle of the order, his more recent results indicate otherwise.
And despite hitting third in the two games against the Yankees, Mets manager Luis Rojas said prior to Sunday’s 6-0 loss to the Yankees in The Bronx that the lineup order in the exhibition games was not necessarily indicative of what he’ll use during the regular season — but he didn’t rule it out.
“With Cano, having him in the middle of the order, we want to get as [many] at-bats as we could get with him missing a little bit of camp,’’ Rojas said of Cano being absent for unspecified reasons during spring training 2.0. “His profile is to hit there in the middle. He showed up in great shape and with his bat, we all feel comfortable he will deliver for us.”
But the Mets could have other — perhaps better options — for such a valuable spot in the lineup. Jeff McNeil led off Sunday, followed by Pete Alonso, while Yoenis Cespedes, Michael Conforto and J.D. Davis followed Cano.
“We’re playing a lot of games,’’ Rojas said. “Guys are hitting in different spots in the lineup. We’re just getting guys at-bats. … It’s nothing in particular to do with what we do in the season. We’re not there yet.”
The first-year manager acknowledged the entire lineup didn’t look good on back-to-back nights against the Yankees, scoring three runs over the two games.
“I’ve said the guys’ timing at the plate has been really good,’’ Rojas said. “Tonight, that wasn’t the case. I thought we chased a lot of pitches. We were late on some fastballs. We only had a few hard-hit balls.”
