NEW YORK (AP) — Jorge Polanco returned to the New York Mets’ lineup Tuesday after missing nearly three months with right wrist and left Achilles injuries.
“Feeling good,” Polanco said before the Mets opened a series against Kansas City. “Feeling grateful. Excited to be back.”
Polanco, who hasn’t played since April 14, was batting sixth as the designated hitter. He’ll likely occupy the DH spot the remainder of the season as the last-place Mets manage his chronic Achilles injury.
Polanco signed to two-year, $40 million deal with the expectation he’d replace Pete Alonso at first base, despite having played just one inning at that position.
He started at first base in the first two games of the season, before he began battling bursitis in his left Achilles. Polanco was batting .179 with a homer in 56 at-bats when he went on the injured list with a right wrist contusion April 18.
Polanco received a platelet-rich injection in April. He paused a minor league rehab assignment in early June and went 2 for 15 with two homers for Triple-A Syracuse in five games since resuming the assignment June 27.
“Got more good days than bad days,” Polanco said. “That’s why I came here now.”
Interim manager Andy Green said Polanco won’t play everyday at designated hitter. He said his presence off the bench as a switch-hitter will provide flexibility in the late innings.
Outfielder Luis Robert Jr., sidelined since April 27 due to lumbar spine disc herniation, moved his rehab to Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. He went 1 for 10 in three games for Syracuse and will likely play his first game for Binghamton on Wednesday.
Second baseman Marcus Semien, placed on the IL with a left hip flexor strain on June 25, ran at what Green described as 80% intensity Monday.
To make room for Polanco on the active roster, the Mets optioned infielder Ronny Mauricio to Triple-A Syracuse. The club also designated pitchers Guillermo Zuniga and Alex Carrillo for assignment and added right-hander Matt Seelinger to the active roster.
Seelinger, a 31-year-old native of nearby Westbury, New York, is making his first trip to the majors. The 28th-round selection of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2017 draft, Seelinger, who played at Division III Farmingdale State on Long Island, said he expected plenty of family and friends in attendance Tuesday night.
“I think it’s really cool — you probably can’t script stories better than playing in the ballpark that was 15 minutes away from where you grew up and having grinded for nine to 10 years in the minor leagues,” Green said. “I think you’re always excited about those stories.”
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