Acuna isn't in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Diamondbacks, Tim Healey of The Boston Globe reports.
Acuna will grab a seat on the bench for the second game in a row after going 3-for-8 during Sunday's doubleheader against St. Louis. Jeff McNeil will get the nod at second base and bat seventh.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Not starting Monday
Rotowire
Acuna is not in the Mets' starting lineup against the Diamondbacks on Monday.
Acuna played in both games of Sunday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, going 3-for-8 with one stolen base and one run scored. He'll get a breather Monday while Jeff McNeil starts at second base and bats eighth against Diamondbacks right-hander Ryne Nelson.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Three hits, steal in matinee loss
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Acuna went 3-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base and a run scored in a 6-5 loss to the Cardinals in Game 1 of Sunday's doubleheader.
Acuna continues to lead the Mets in steals -- his theft Sunday was his eighth of the season. This was also his third multi-hit effort in the last six games, though he followed it up with an 0-for-4 effort in the nightcap. Acuna is at a .298/.355/.369 slash line with no home runs, four RBI, 14 runs scored and six doubles across 93 plate appearances this season. He continues to see a majority of the playing time at second base, though he started at third in the day game.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Taking seat Thursday
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Acuna is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Jeff McNeil has mostly been playing in the outfield since returning from the injured list a week ago, but he'll return to his more natural spot at second base Thursday, which leaves no room in the lineup for Acuna. The 23-year-old had occupied the keystone for each of the Mets' last five games, going 6-for-20 with two runs, two RBI and a stolen base.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Swipes bag Tuesday
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Acuna went 2-for-4 with a steal and two runs scored in Tuesday's win over the Diamondbacks.
Acuna notched his second straight multi-hit game Tuesday with singles in the second and third innings, and he came around to score both times. He added his seventh steal of the season and is far and away the Mets' leading base stealer. The 23-year-old has held his own through the first month of the season, hitting .300/.355/.371 with five extra-base hits, three RBI, 13 runs and a 6:14 BB:K in 76 plate appearances.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Starting at keystone again Monday
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Acuna is starting at second base and batting ninth in Monday's game versus the Nationals, Andrew Tredinnick of NorthJersey.com reports.
Acuna has now been in the lineup three times in four games since Jeff McNeil returned from the injured list, as McNeil has started in center field twice during that span and was on the bench the one time the Mets faced a lefty. If McNeil proves to be a viable option on a regular basis in center field, Acuna could find himself in the lineup often at the keystone.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Hitting bench Wednesday
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Acuna is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Phillies.
Acuna will take a seat after he had started at second base in each of the last four games while going 4-for-13 with two doubles, one walk and three runs scored. Brett Baty will get the nod at the keystone Wednesday, but both he and Acuna may see their opportunities trend downward once Jeff McNeil (oblique) makes his return from the injured list, likely this weekend.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Out of lineup again
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Acuna is not in the Mets' starting lineup against the Cardinals on Friday.
Acuna will be out of the Mets' lineup for a second straight game while Brett Baty starts at the keystone and bats ninth against Cardinals right-hander Miles Mikolas. Acuna is slashing .263/.349/.342 with five walks, five stolen bases, eight runs scored and one RBI in 43 plate appearances this season.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Exits starting nine
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Acuna is not in the lineup for Thursday's tilt versus the Cardinals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Acuna had started each of the previous four contests at second base, but he'll begin Thursday's series opener on the bench. Brett Baty is handling second base and batting eighth for the Mets.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Swipes fifth bag of year
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Acuna went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Twins.
Making his fourth straight start at second base, Acuna extended his hitting streak to six games while swiping his fifth bag in five attempts. The 23-year-old is batting .381 (8-for-21) during his heater with two doubles, six runs and a 3:4 BB:K, and the Mets may be exploring ways to keep Acuna in the lineup -- Jeff McNeil (oblique) is seeing time in center field during his rehab assignment.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: On base three times Monday
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Acuna went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and a stolen base in Monday's 5-1 win over the Twins.
The 23-year-old made an impact from the bottom of the batting order, continuing a hot streak in which he has gone 6-for-14 over his last four games with three steals and six runs scored. After the game, manager Carlos Mendoza essentially confirmed that Acuna has pulled ahead of Brett Baty in the battle for playing time at second base, with the skipper noting that Acuna will start against another right-handed pitcher (Bailey Ober) on Tuesday, per Tim Healey of Newsday. Jeff McNeil (oblique) is closing in on a return from the 10-day injured list and will eventually take over as the Mets' primary second baseman, but Acuna's ability to play center field will likely improve his odds of sticking around in the big leagues since Jose Siri (tibia) appears headed for a lengthy absence.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Nabs third steal
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Acuna went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, a run scored and a stolen base in Friday's 7-6 win over the A's.
Getting the start at second base and batting seventh, Acuna put together his best performance of the season at the plate. The division of labor at the keystone may be tipping in the 23-year-old's favor given Brett Baty's tough start to the campaign, but Jeff McNeil (oblique) began a rehab assignment Friday and likely isn't far away from being activated from the IL. Both Baty and Acuna could simply be competing for one big-league bench spot once McNeil is ready to return. On the season, Acuna is batting .217 (5-for-23) with two doubles, three steals and five runs scored.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Makes Opening Day roster
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Acuna will be on the Mets' Opening Day roster, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.
The .966 OPS that Acuna delivered in his first 14 games of MLB action late in the regular season last year didn't quite carry over into spring training, as he wrapped up camp with a .250/.304/.269 slash line alongside five RBI, seven runs scored and three steals in 21 Grapefruit League games. Likely destined to spend most days on the Mets' bench, the 23-year-old's best path to playing time is in the short side of a platoon with Brett Baty at second base until Jeff McNeil (oblique) returns.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Looking good for roster spot
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Acuna seems likely to win a spot on the Opening Day roster and could handle the short side of a platoon at second base alongside Brett Baty, Tim Britton of the Athletic reports.
The Mets may have been reluctant to bring Acuna north if he was just going to be stuck on the bench, but the potential for consistent playing time might make the decision to keep him on the 26-man roster easier. That playing time is available due to an oblique injury to Jeff McNeil, and if either or both of the youngsters play well in his absence, there's no guarantee he wins back the starting gig given how his production has declined since he won the NL batting crown in 2022. The 23-year-old Acuna would help his case with a strong finish to his spring -- through 14 appearances he's batting .226 (7-for-31) with a 0:6 BB:K, although he has gone 3-for-3 on steal attempts.
Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Could help fill in for McNeil
Rotowire
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said Thursday that Acuna is among the players who could step into larger roles in the infield with Jeff McNeil (oblique) expected to begin the season on the injured list, SNY.tv reports.
Mendoza also listed Brett Baty, Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos as candidates to help replace McNeil, though Walton and De Los Santos are attending spring training as non-roster invitees and may be less likely than Acuna and Baty to break camp with the big club. After getting a call-up from Triple-A Syracuse last September, Acuna exclusively filled in at shortstop for an injured Francisco Lindor and hit .308 with three home runs in 40 plate appearances to close out the regular season, but he made all seven of his postseason appearances at the keystone while McNeil was recovering from a fractured wrist. Acuna has dabbled at both middle-infield spots as well as third base during Grapefruit League play, but expect most of his reps to come at the keystone for the rest of the spring as he looks to solidify himself as the top option at the position until McNeil returns.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Fine after early removal
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Manager Carlos Mendoza said that Acuna is fine after getting hit in the arm by a pitch in the second inning of Saturday's game, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
The Mets will take another look at him Sunday, but it seems Acuna escaped the incident with nothing more than a bruise. In five games this spring, the 22-year-old infielder has gone 2-for-10 with an RBI, two runs scored and two stolen bases -- one of which came after he was plunked Saturday.
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Mets' Luisangel Acuna: Exits after HBP
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Acuna was removed from Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays after getting hit in the left arm by a pitch, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Acuna was able to run for himself after getting plunked in the top of the second frame and even stole second base before being replaced in the field prior to the next half-inning. His removal may have been precautionary based on his ability to stay in the game immediately after the incident, but the Mets will likely provide more details after the game.
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