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Mets Designate Infielder For Assignment With Semien Promoted
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- Mets Designate Infielder For Assignment With Semien Promoted
The New York Mets designated infielder Zack Short for assignment, with second baseman Marcus Semien returning earlier than expected from a left hip flexor strain, although Semien isn't in the starting lineup tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies . The moves were reported by both MLBTradeRumors.com and MLB.com .
The move with Short isn't unexpected, as the light-hitting infielder was promoted primarily to provide defense due to a shortage of infielders after Mark Vientos broke his hand before the All-Star break.
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Short did make an appearance at second base in relief of Brett Baty , who seems to have rediscovered his hitting stroke recently after scuffling at the plate and being moved around the diamond for the first three months of the season.
But Semien's quick return is surprising, as his injury was initially reported as a Grade 3 strain, which is the worst designation for that kind of flexor injury. His timeline for a return was supposed to be 4-6 weeks, but Semien is now back after just three weeks.
There's certainly no reason to rush his return, as the Mets are just 40-57 and 12 games out of a playoff berth, according to Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com. Semien is expected to split time with Baty, possibly even in a platoon arrangement.
As for Short, he's had a busy season of moving around. He signed a minor league deal with the New York Yankees in the offseason, but he was then traded to the Washington Nationals and then the Detroit Tigers . He was claimed by the Mets after being waived by the Tigers, so he's barely had a chance to unpack with anyone.
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Short is now out of options, and there's no doubt that he brings little to the table offensively. According to McDonald, he has a slash line of .140/.262/.180 line this year,and a .169/.270/.286 slash for his career. He didn't really get much of a chance to show what he can do offensively with the Mets, so that remains a mystery.
There's also some doubt about how good he is defensively, at least according to McDonald, who cited metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average that rank him as subpar and "don't like him much." But teams using internal metrics clearly like him, although he'll most likely be on waivers again in the coming days. This is a time of year when reliable defense from plug-and-play fielders has value, so Short could turn up soon again with either the Mets or another interested team.
