The New York Mets have one of their first serious injury issues of the spring to deal with as they learned that infielder Grae Kissinger is dealing with a “pretty significant injury” to his hamstring, according to manager Carlos Mendoza. The report was provided by Nick Deeds of MLBTradeRumors.com via Marc Feinsand of MLB.com.
The possibility of surgery is reportedly “on the table,” according to Mendoza, which would put him on the shelf for approximately 8-12 weeks. Injuries have plagued Kessinger throughout the middle infielder’s career, which began in 2023 with the Houston Astros.
Kissinger was considered firmly in the mix for the Mets’ open utility infielder spot, but this injury seems almost certain to end that possibility. If Kessinger is able to avoid surgery, he could be back as a depth option some time around Memorial Day, according to Mendoza.
The 28-year old infielder has played in just 48 games so far in his big-league career, so it’s difficult to get an idea of what he could do as an off-the-bench infielder given his overall slash line of .131/.243/.213 in just 70 plate appearances spread over two seasons, according to Deeds. He has shown signs of at least being a “Four A” player, however, with a slash line of .268/.370/.400 slash line at Triple-A.
The Mets’ middle-infield situation is something of a muddle right now, with shortstop Francisco Lindor, first baseman Jose Polanco, third baseman Bo Bichette and infielder Brett Baty set to rotate between the four infield spots and DH, with Baty possibly also seeing time in right field.
The off-the-bench utility spot features a lot of competition from the likes of infielders Vidal Brujan, Jackson Cluff and Christian Arroyo, although third baseman Ronny Mauricio is considered to be the clubhouse leader for the role, especially since he’s currently subbing in for the injured Lindor at shortstop.
Kessinger’s injury is likely the first step in the sorting out process, and there could be more moves to come. No one really knows whether Baty can really master the so-called super-utility role, and Bichette has never played third before. The Mets daily lineup so far in spring training has featured at least one positional experiment, and that’s likely to continue with Lindor out and Kessinger eliminated from the competition for the moment.
Kessinger is the grandson of former Chicago Cubs shortstop, who was a slick fielder back in the 60s in an infield that featured Cubs Hall of Fame third baseman and franchise Icon Ron Santo.