This was not the year for Ronny Mauricio (again). In 2026, he once again was up and down and only showed flashes of potential during his time at the plate. His offense was usually lackluster, and his defense often reminded you of the players you were missing.
Mauricio was first recalled from Triple-A on April 6, when Juan Soto went on the Injured List. He was optioned to Triple-A on April 13. He was recalled from Triple-A on April 23, when Francisco Lindor found himself on the IL for two months. It should have been an opportunity for Mauricio to prove himself, but on May 3, he fractured his left thumb sliding into first base and landed on the IL himself.
After completing his rehab assignment on June 24, he was optioned to Triple-A. He was recalled the next day when Marcus Semien was placed on the IL. On July 7, he was optioned to Triple-A, where he remained until September 18. Mauricio was recalled for the final time when Jared Young was placed on the 7-day concussion IL. In 2026, he played in 25 games and had 62 plate appearances. He hit .220/.258/.441 with a wRC+ of 91 and fWAR of -0.2.
There were some nice moments in Mauricio's cameos this season. In April, he had his first walk-off hit, in extra innings, no less. At the beginning of May, he bludgeoned a 421-foot go-ahead home run that sealed the Mets' win against the Angels. When he returned in September, he looked like a different hitter: more patient, better plate discipline. During his last seven games, he hit .294/.400/.824. He capped it off with three homers in his last two games. The totality just wasn't quite enough, especially given the timing of his turnaround.
