February 7, 2025 12:04 PM : Mauricio seems likely to begin the season at Triple-A Syracuse even if he's fully healthy following last year's knee surgery, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The Mets have little incentive to rush Mauricio's recovery given that he originally tore his ACL in winter ball after the 2023 season but then needed a clean-up procedure in August and wound up missing the entire 2024 campaign. The 23-year-old infielder also lost his clearest path to a starting job when New York re-signed Pete Alonso, which will keep Mark Vientos at third base. Mauricio appeared to have mastered Triple-A prior to the injury, slashing .292/.346/.506 for Syracuse over 116 games in 2023 with 23 homers and 24 steals, so assuming he proves he's healthy and has shaken off the rust, he could be pushing for a big-league job very quickly. Second base might be his most likely position with the Mets, as the team heads into spring training with Jeff McNeil still atop the depth chart despite a disappointing 2024 campaign that featured career lows in batting average (.238) and OBP (.308).