The Mets formally announced Acuna’s call-up, and outfielder DJ Stewart was optioned to Triple-A to clear space on the 28-man roster.
The Mets want to elevate top prospect Luisangel Acuña, as revealed by Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase (originally reported by X user Jorge L. Seoud H.). Acuña is already on the 40-man roster, but the Mets need to make a move to create room for him on the active roster.
Acuña, 22, joined the Rangers as an international free agent in 2018. He joined the Mets at the trade deadline last year, as part of the transaction that sent Max Scherzer back to Texas. Entering the season, Keith Law of The Athletic ranked him as the Mets’ No. 2 prospect. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN ranked him third, as did MLB Pipeline, and Baseball America ranked him fourth. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen placed Acuña as the No. 6 prospect in the system, despite not being as keen on him.
Acuña has struggled at Triple-A in 2024, posting a.654 OPS and 69 wRC+ in 131 games. On the plus side, he has 40 stolen bases and the ability to play solid defense at second and center field. However, given the Mets’ paucity of infield choices on the major league roster, there is no doubting that he was recalled out of desperation rather than merit. With Jeff McNeil out for the rest of the regular season and maybe the playoffs, Jose Iglesias has moved into the starting order, while Eddy Alvarez is the lone infielder left on the bench. However, Alvarez joined the Mets after September 1, so he will not be eligible for the postseason roster. When October arrives, New York will need to add a new infielder to its bench.
On top of that, Francisco Lindor left today’s game against the Phillies with back discomfort. He is day-to-day and unconcerned about the injury (according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com), but it is unknown when he will return to the lineup. After the game, he informed reporters (including DiComo) that all he could do was get up tomorrow, check how he felt, and then go from there. Even if Lindor is only sidelined for a game or two, the Mets would benefit from having another infielder on the active roster.
