As the New York Mets prepare for what they hope is a contending turn in 2020, they're assessing injuries and the remaining vacancies on the 60-man player pool. On that note: general manager Brodie Van Wagenen told reporters he's "optimistic" that outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will play at some point in the condensed 2020 season.
Cespedes didn't play at all last season, and he hasn't appeared in more than 81 games in any season since 2016. Hamstring, hip, and -- most recently -- heel injuries are to blame for Cespedes' lack of availability in recent years. The 2020 season will be his age-34 campaign, and once age and the long layoff are taken into consideration it's not clear how much the Mets should expect from Cespedes. When healthy, though, he's been highly productive more often than not. His right-handed pop could be useful in a Mets outfield that's two-thirds lefty or as a platoon partner at DH with Dominic Smith.
Michael Conforto, who's been a solidly underrated producer over his career, is all systems go, and Jed Lowrie, who's recovering from major knee problems, figures to be a valuable reserve infielder. Cespedes, Conforto, and Lowrie were all on the Mets' initial 60-man player pool.
Elsewhere, the Mets on Monday announced the signings of infielder Gordon Beckham and outfielder Melky Cabrera. Both have been added to the player pool. The 33-year-old Beckham hasn't been an adequate hitter for several years, but he does have the ability to play all four infield positions. Cabrera, who turns 36 in August, is a switch-hitter with an OPS+ of 97 over the last three seasons. He can play the outfield corners.
Spots remain on the Mets' player pool list, and that brings us to minor-league outfielder Tim Tebow. According to Anthony DiComo, Tebow is under consideration for one of those remaining spots. The 32-year-old Tebow owns a slash line of .223/.299/.338 across parts of three minor-league seasons with 18 home runs in 287 games. Last season at Triple-A, Tebow put up an OPS of .495 in 77 games.
