Blog

Apr 02, 2024

4 NY Mets players who likely have a September roster spot, but don’t deserve it

Rafael Ortega is another player the Mets brought up instantly after the deadline passed, and he's been basically the same player he's always been. The 32-year-old has been given the chance to play

Rafael Ortega is another player the Mets brought up instantly after the deadline passed, and he's been basically the same player he's always been.

The 32-year-old has been given the chance to play virtually every day as he's appeared in 26 of the team's 28 games since they promoted him. He's started 23 of those games. He's had some good moments like the walk-off hit against the Angels and a home run in Atlanta, but other than that, he's been nothing special.

Ortega is slashing .234/.330/.299 with one home run and six RBI in 88 plate appearances. He's gotten on base a decent amount mostly out of the nine-hole, but a .628 OPS is nothing to write home about.

Ortega has a ton of MLB experience, appearing in 364 games in six separate seasons heading into this season with five different organizations. He had just a .683 OPS in those games, and that's aided tremendously by an .823 OPS year back in 2021 with the Cubs.

Ortega hasn't proven that he's a MLB player, and the chances are he'll have no role with this organization in 2024. There's no justification for rostering a 32-year-old in a lost season that has a .628 OPS.