Escobar's poor spring, as well as a big performance from Brett Baty, have given the Mets a tough decision to make at third base, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.
Escobar's 4-for-30 (.133) spring comes with just one extra-base hit, a double, while Baty has raked to the tune of a .325 batting average (13-for-40) with a home run and two stolen bases, although the 23-year-old has struck out 14 times in 50 plate appearances. Escobar remains the favorite to start at the hot corner Opening Day while Baty heads back to Triple-A for more seasoning, but a slow start from the veteran could prompt the Mets to make a quick switch, as there's little margin for error in what should be an ultra-competitive NL East.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Little impact at plate
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Escobar has gone just 2-for-20 at the plate this spring with zero extra-base hits.
The veteran is still penciled in as the Mets' starting third baseman to begin the season, but Escobar hasn't done much in camp to suggest he's going to rebound significantly from the tepid .240/.295/.430 slash line he posted in 2022. If he has another sluggish start at the plate, the door could open for Brett Baty to take the job at the hot corner early in the season.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Looking to rebound from tough year
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Escobar was dealing with an off-field family issue last season that impacted his performance, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
"It was really hard," Escobar said this week. "I love baseball and respect my teammates. My problems are my problems. And I try to separate my problems from the job. But it was really hard throughout the season, especially when you're coming to a big team as a new player. It led to trying too much." The 34-year-old still slugged 20 home runs in 2022 for the fifth time in his career, but his .725 OPS was his lowest over a full season since 2016. The issue got dealt with in August, and Escobar's .321/.385/.596 slash line in September and October suggests he regained his focus in spades. He has extra incentive to rebound in 2023 as well -- prospect Brett Baty will be pushing for the starting job at third base this summer, and Mets owner Steve Cohen could potentially pursue free-agent-to-be Manny Machado next winter.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Heads to bench Wednesday
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Escobar isn't starting Wednesday against the Nationals.
Escobar is getting a rare chance to rest during Wednesday's regular-season finale after he went 2-for-12 with a run, an RBI, three walks and five strikeouts over the last four games. Mark Vientos will start at the hot corner and bat seventh.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Carries offense with five RBI
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Escobar went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI in Wednesday's 5-4 victory over the Marlins.
Escobar put the team on his back Wednesday with a two-run homer off lefty starter Jesus Luzardo in the seventh inning, a two-run single to tie the game in the eighth and a walk-off RBI single in the 10th. The third baseman has accumulated nine multi-hit games in his last 20, including two three-hit games in his last three contests. In addition, the 33-year-old has tallied 11 RBI over his last five games.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Mashes grand slam
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Escobar went 1-for-5 with a grand slam and an additional run in a 9-2 win against the Athletics on Friday.
Escobar connected on a two-out grand slam in the fifth inning off Oakland starter Cole Irvin and later tacked on New York's final run in the seventh. The long ball is the seventh of September for the 33-year-old who continues to rake with a .329/.388/.671 slash line, 15 runs and 17 RBI in 21 games this month.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Sleeper hitters for Week 25 (Sept. 19-25)
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With another big performance against the Pirates over the weekend, Escobar is proving to be a key contributor at a weak position down the stretch. He faces another slate of questionable pitchers this week, including Adrian Houser, Cole Irvin, Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Powers offense in win
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Escobar went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, a walk and an additional run scored in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Pirates.
Escobar's blast in the second inning was all the offense the Mets needed. He's hit safely in 13 of 16 games in September, going 22-for-56 (.393) with nine extra-base hits, including six homers. The 33-year-old's strong month has restored him to a starting role at third base, and it's lifted his season slash line to .240/.292/.434 through 122 contests. He's added 18 homers, 56 RBI, 54 runs scored and 24 doubles.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Maybe a little rest is all Escobar needed. After a minimum IL stint for a strained oblique, he has come back to do all the things that he wasn't for the first 4 1/2 months. To be more specific, he's batting .413 (19 for 46) with five home runs in just 14 games, reclaiming the everyday third base job from the kids who threatened to take it away from him. Of course, he's bound to slow down sooner or later, but he was expected to be a solid contributor at a weak position coming into the year. Why shouldn't those expectations apply again now that he's hot, especially with a favorable slate against the Cubs and Pirates this week and the Brewers and Athletics next week?
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Stays hot with homer
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Escobar went 3-for-5 with one double, one homer, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 11-3 win over the Marlins.
Escobar gave the Mets the lead with an RBI double in the fourth inning and led off the seventh with a home run off righty reliever Jeff Brigham. The third baseman has been on a great run in his last eight games with a .500 average and 1.496 OPS in 32 plate appearances. After going 18 games without a home run, the 33-year-old has hit four in his last eight games.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Singles barrage in twin bill
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Escobar went 6-for-9 with two runs scored and two RBI across both games of Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of the Pirates.
All six hits were singles -- two in the matinee and four in the nightcap -- but Escobar was able to turn them into some production while batting eighth in the lineup in both contests. The 33-year-old has had a tough season, but he's at least finishing it with a flourish. Since moving back into the starting lineup nine games ago, he's batting .448 (13-for-29) with three homers and six RBI.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Homers in back-to-back games
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Escobar went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 7-1 loss to the Nationals.
The Mets mustered only four hits in the contest, and Escobar's long ball accounted for their lone run. He's taking advantage of renewed playing time at third base in September, going 2-for-7 with two homers, four RBI and two walks through three games this month. The veteran infielder is slashing just .219/.272/.397 on the year with 14 homers, 48 RBI, 43 runs scored and 22 doubles through 109 contests, but he should have a clear path to playing time until Luis Guillorme (groin) returns.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Swats 13th homer
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Escobar went 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and three RBI in Friday's 7-3 win over the Nationals.
The 33-year-old took Josiah Gray deep for a two-run shot in the second inning, giving Escobar his first homer since July 26 and his 13th of the year. While he did miss time with an oblique injury between those long balls, he slashed just .191/.224/.277 during that 18-game power drought. His current hold on the starting spot at third base is only due to the fact Brett Baty (thumb) and Luis Guillorme (groin) are on the injured list.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Takes over as primary third baseman
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Escobar will start at third base and bat eighth Thursday against the Dodgers, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Escobar looked on track to fill a utility infield role for the Mets when he was reinstated from the injured list over the weekend, but he's now poised to reclaim the everyday role at third base with rookie Brett Baty expected to miss the rest of the regular season while recovering from right thumb surgery. The Mets added journeyman infielder Deven Marrero from Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday to give the team another option at the hot corner, but in spite of his struggles at the plate this season, Escobar should play regularly against both right- and left-handed pitching. However, Escobar could be in danger of moving into a short-side platoon role once the lefty-hitting Luis Guillorme (oblique) returns from the IL, perhaps as soon as next week.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Kept quiet in return
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Escobar (oblique) went 0-for-3 in Saturday's 3-0 win over the Rockies.
Escobar had chances to make an impact but instead left five men on base in his fruitless return after a minimal stay on the injured list. The 33-year-old has primarily played third base this season, but he could shift into a utility role over the last few weeks of the season to allow prospect Brett Baty consistent playing time at the hot corner. Escobar is fairly experienced around the infield in his career, though he'll likely need to improve slightly on his season-long .214/.267/.381 slash line to remain a consistent presence in the lineup.
Escobar (oblique) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list Saturday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Escobar recently appeared in a pair of rehab games at High-A Brooklyn and went 2-for-7 with a run, an RBI and a strikeout. He's starting at the hot corner and batting eighth Saturday but will likely have to settle for a short-side platoon or utility role since Brett Baty is expected to remain with the major-league club.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Preparing for possible utility role
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Mets manager Buck Showalter said Escobar (oblique) will begin a rehab assignment Thursday for High-A Brooklyn, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
According to Showalter, Escobar is scheduled to log seven innings at shortstop, a position he's played for only two innings in the majors since the start of the 2019 season. Because Escobar had fallen into a short-side platoon role at third base prior to landing on the injured list Aug. 17 with a strained oblique, the Mets are eager to give him more exposure to other infield positions so he can serve as more of a utility player off the bench once he's activated. The Mets appear content to stick with rookie Brett Baty as their everyday third baseman, even though the youngster has produced a measly .492 OPS in his first eight big-league games.
Mets manager Buck Showalter said Sunday that Escobar (oblique) "is doing really well" and is on track to return from the 10-day injured list Friday against Colorado, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Though he looks like he'll be ready to come off the IL when first eligible next weekend, Escobar's potential role is more uncertain. Before succumbing to the oblique injury, the righty-hitting Escobar had already fallen into a short-side platoon role at third base behind the lefty-hitting Luis Guillorme (groin), who was placed on the IL shortly before Escobar. Since Escobar joined Guillorme on the shelf, top prospect Brett Baty was called up from Triple-A Syracuse and has collected three hits in 17 at-bats while taking over as the Mets' everyday option at the hot corner. Like Guillorme, Baty bats from the left side of the plate, so Escobar could again find himself in the short side of a platoon if the Mets choose not to demote the rookie to Triple-A.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Officially moves to IL
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Escobar was placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a strained left oblique, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The veteran third baseman was unable to get past the oblique injury this week and will now be unavailable for at least the next week and a half. Luis Guillorme (groin) is also on the IL, and prospect Brett Baty was promoted to the majors and should take over as New York's primary third baseman for the time being. It's unclear how long Escobar is expected to be sidelined, but he may be in line for a reduced role once healthy.
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Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Tending to oblique injury
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Escobar was scratched from the lineup for Tuesday's game in Atlanta due to a sore left oblique, and he's expected to be placed on the 10-day injured list Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Escobar was poised to move into a full-time role at third base after strong-side platoon mate Luis Guillorme (groin) landed on the injured list Monday, but the Mets are now set to be without their top two options at the position for the foreseeable future. As a result, the Mets are poised to expedite top prospect Brett Baty's arrival to the big leagues, as the 22-year-old will have his contract selected from Triple-A Syracuse ahead of Wednesday's game, according to DiComo. Depending on how well he performs in his initial taste of the big leagues, Baty could hold off Guillorme and Escobar for playing time once both are healthy again.
