Pete Alonso not in Mets' starting lineup for first time this season
Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) follows through on a base hit in the first inning of a baseball game against Atlanta, Monday, May 17, 2021, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/John Bazemore
ATLANTA — For the first time all season, Pete Alonso was out of the lineup Wednesday.
He was the last Mets regular to take a seat. Manager Luis Rojas said the rest would benefit Alonso because he hasn’t seemed quite like his same self lately.
"He's a bull. He doesn’t want days off," Rojas said. "We feel this is very much strategic for him moving forward. I think it just works well for him and he can work on some things, be able to relax, watch the game, get his rest and then be ready."
Alonso was hitting .236 with a .336 OBP and .433 slugging percentage entering Wednesday. His .769 OPS was tops among Mets with at least 75 at-bats, and 94.1 mph average hit speed was tied for fourth in the majors.
Of his team-high six home runs, though, only one has come in the past three weeks. He has a .209/.316/.328 slash line in those 19 games.
"He's been a little out of whack," Rojas said. "He's been drifting, he's been a little bit out in front at times. He's been late on fastballs, out front of breaking balls, chasing. Sometimes you don’t know. Playing every day, grinding to it, sometimes it does that.
"We're dealing with a lot of injuries right now . . . [but] we've still got to be smart about the guys playing every day. This is the approach here. Not too concerned. I don't think it's anything he's lost or anything like that, but he can just slow things down tonight by getting the night off."
Alonso’s absence plus injuries to others meant the Mets’ lineup included just two players from their Opening Day order: Francisco Lindor and James McCann.
It also included one player from the Triple-A Syracuse Mets’ Opening Day lineup (Khalil Lee) and one player from the Triple-A Iowa Cubs’ Opening Day lineup (Cameron Maybin).
