The New York Mets have promoted infielder Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., to the majors for his big-league debut. The move was reportedly in the works before shortstop Francisco Lindor exited Friday's game with back soreness. In a corresponding move, the Mets demoted outfielder DJ Stewart to open up a spot on the active roster.
Acuña, 22, was obtained from the Texas Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Max Scherzer. At the time, he appeared to be a promising middle-infield prospect with a legitimate chance at further development. Alas, Acuña has not played up to his billing since joining the Mets. This season alone, he's batted .258/.299/.355 with twice as many strikeouts as walks at Triple-A.
The Mets' hope is that Acuña can still provide value as a utility player. They had him training at three positions this year -- he made at least 30 appearances at shortstop, second base, and center field -- and he's a plus runner who has shown an aptitude for stealing bases. He's succeeded on 40 of his 54 attempts this year, as well as on 80% for his minor-league career.
The Mets recently acquired infielder Eddy Alvarez from the Boston Red Sox after learning second baseman Jeff McNeil would miss the remainder of the season with a broken wrist. Acuña would appear to bring a more well-rounded game to the table, making him the kind of upgrade that can help influence a tight playoff race during the home stretch.
Sure enough, the Mets entered Saturday with an 81-66 record that puts them in sole possession of the National League's third and final wild-card spot. The Mets will enter play with a one-game lead over the Atlanta Braves. Those two teams have one final series remaining against each other that will take place from Sept. 24-26.
That series could be significant in two ways: 1) it may determine who wins the wild-card spot; and 2) it will represent the first time both Acuña brothers are present at the same MLB game (though, again, Ronald will not be active).