Mets general manager Billy Eppler said Friday that Mauricio has begun "acclimating to left field," Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Mauricio continues to add more defensive versatility to his profile as he pushes toward his MLB debut. He had exclusively played shortstop in the minors before recently switching over to second base at Triple-A Syracuse. The 22-year-old top prospect boasts a .336/.377/.550 slash line with seven homers and nine steals through 53 games this season in the International League and should carry immediate fantasy relevance whenever he gets the call to Queens.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Could get next promotion
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Mauricio might get called up to take over the starting job at second base with the Mets, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.
The 22-year-old's .348/.384/.586 slash line at Triple-A this season makes a good case for promotion all on its own, but the Mets are also getting little production out of the left field duo of Mark Canha and Tommy Pham. Moving Jeff McNeil out to left on a full-time basis would then open up the keystone for Mauricio, adding another top prospect to a Mets youth movement that already features Francisco Alvarez at catcher, Brett Baty at third base and Mark Vientos in a utility/DH role.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Transitioning to utility role
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Mauricio played his first game at second base for Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
With Francisco Lindor locked in as the starting shortstop at the big-league level, Mauricio's path to the majors will have to come at another position -- or positions, as the Mets are potentially viewing the 22-year-old as a future utility player. "The plan is to move him around a little bit now," manager Buck Showalter said over the weekend. "It's to increase his versatility -- something he's good at." In addition to the keystone, Mauricio could see time at both infield corners and in the outfield at Triple-A as he works on his defensive flexibility, but his bat could be major-league ready right now. Through 21 games with Syracuse to begin 2023, he's slashing .350/.395/.688 with six homers, four steals, 16 runs and 16 RBI.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
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Mauricio was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse by the Mets on Saturday.
Mauricio showed impressive power in his time in camp with the Mets with four home runs and a .636 slugging percentage over 35 plate appearances. He also hit .242 with a .286 on-base percentage, which shows there's still work to be done for the 21-year-old infielder. He'll begin the year in Syracuse and could be an option for the Mets if there's a need up the middle in the infield.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Launches fourth spring homer
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Mauricio went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays.
Getting the start at shortstop and hitting ninth, Mauricio took Elvin Rodriguez deep in the fifth inning for his fourth homer of the spring. Mauricio's .304/.360/.870 slash line in camp is impressive, but the 21-year-old has yet play above Double-A and his ability to get on base once he reaches the majors is a major question mark -- he has a .296 OBP in nearly 1,000 plate appearances across the last two minor-league seasons. Even so, a quick start to his campaign at Triple-A this year could put him in line to make his MLB debut at some point over the summer.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Early power surge continues
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Mauricio launched a two-run home run in his only plate appearance during Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Marlins.
Entering the game in the ninth inning at second base, the Mets prospect took minor-league pitcher Sean Reynolds deep to right field. Mauricio has slugged three homers in seven at-bats to begin his spring, but he remains a long shot to break camp on the big-league roster. After hitting 26 home runs in 123 Double-A games in 2022, however, the 21-year-old's power is legit, and he could make his big-league debut sometime this summer if injuries open up a spot in the New York infield.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: No plans to shift him off shortstop
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Maurico will continue to be developed as a shortstop by the Mets despite seemingly being blocked at the big-league level by Francisco Lindor, Alex Schiffer of The Athletic reports.
"We've talked about it as an organization, I don't think we're at that point right now where we're ready to make that move yet," Double-A Binghamton manager Reid Brignac said this week. "When you got a guy [in Lindor] that's on a long-term contract and one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball, it's going to be hard to move him off of that spot right? So at some point when [Mauricio] gets closer to being a big-league player there will be talks about moving him to other positions. The more positions you play, the more opportunity you get." Third base would be an obvious shift, but the Mets have a top prospect at the hot corner already in Brett Baty, who just got a promotion to Triple-A and is likely to reach the majors before Mauricio does. Regardless of where the 21-year-old eventually plays, he'll need to show a better hit tool and/or more plate discipline to earn a regular role in the big-league lineup, as he's slashing .246/.282/.474 with 21 homers and 14 steals in 92 games for Binghamton this season.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Shows off power for Rumble Ponies
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Mauricio went 2-for-4 with a walk and two solo home runs for Double-A Binghamton on Thursday,
The 21-year-old returned to the starting lineup July 13 after recovering from a minor hand injury and has gone 10-for-43 (.233) with two doubles and three homers in 10 games. Mauricio's approach at the plate still needs some refinement -- he's posted career highs with a 44.0 percent flyball rate and 50.0 percent pull rate, leading to a lopsided .248/.285/.483 slash line through 80 games this year for Binghamton -- but his 24.5 percent strikeout rate is acceptable, and his 18 homers and 11 steals highlight his potential if he can learn to make more consistent quality contact.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Set to return from hand injury
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Mauricio, who hasn't started for Double-A Binghamton since July 3 due to a bruised hand, is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Mauricio was able to make an appearance off the bench Tuesday as a pinch hitter, and assuming he didn't experience any setbacks with his hand, he should be back in action Wednesday either at designated hitter or shortstop. The 21-year-old is slashing .250/.283/.482 with 15 home runs and 11 stolen bases across 300 plate appearances with Binghamton on the season.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Finding groove at Double-A
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Mauricio went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBI for Double-A Binghamton on Sunday.
The 21-year-old has seen his prospect status fade significantly over the last couple years, but the Mets still protected Mauricio from the Rule 5 draft in the offseason, and he's beginning to reward the organization's faith in him. He's batting .298 over his last 11 games with seven of his 14 hits going for extra bases, including three homers. However, he also has a 32 percent strikeout rate against a four percent walk rate over that stretch, and his inability to control the strike zone remains the biggest obstacle between Mauricio and a regular spot in the big-league lineup down the road.
Mauricio was added to the Mets' 40-man roster Friday, Justin Toscano of The Bergen Record reports.
While Mauricio isn't all that close to making his big-league debut, he is too talented to leave unprotected from the Rule 5 draft. Once a skinny shortstop who was all projection, Mauricio has filled out his 6-foot-3 frame and is getting to that impressive power in games. He will need to improve his approach in the coming years.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Awarded for High-A performance
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Mauricio was named the High-A East's Top MLB Prospect and also made the circuit's All-Star squad.
A .242/.290/.449 batting line isn't much to write home about, but it's good for a 20-year-old in High-A ball, and he showed noteworthy grit by working his way out of a lengthy early-season slump that lasted from late May to mid-July. He also didn't look daunted after getting promoted to Double-A, batting .323/.364/.452 across eight games there to close out the campaign. Expect Mauricio to open next season in Double-A, where he'll be expected to continue working on trimming his strikeout rate while getting to his power consistently in game action.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Advances to Double-A
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Mauricio was promoted to Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, Tim Healey of Newsday reports.
Mauricio hasn't excelled at the plate this season, with his .242/.290/.449 slash line in 100 games for High-A Brooklyn equating to a sub-par 94 wRC+. He's been much better over his last 50 games, however, posting an .814 OPS after struggling to a .666 OPS over his first 50. Considering that he's just 20 years old and is also a full-time shortstop, there's reason to be encouraged as he works his way into the upper minors.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Homers twice in High-A
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Mauricio went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo homers, a walk and three runs in High-A Brooklyn's win over Jersey Shore on Tuesday.
After a difficult June in which the 20-year-old shortstop hit just .202, he's in the midst of an excellent July that's seen him bat .293 with five homers, two steals, 14 RBI and 11 runs across 19 games. Mauricio's season line -- .247/.289/.459 with 13 homers and six steals -- still leaves something to be desired, but he's made positive strides nonetheless, showing increased power and more than holding his own despite being three years younger than the average player in the High-A East. He's still raw, as he simply doesn't have a ton of minor-league experience and his plate discipline remains a work in progress, so the Mets would do well to give him plenty of development time.
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Mets' Ronny Mauricio: Raking to begin season
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Mauricio is slashing .341/.386/.732 through nine games for High-A Brooklyn with four home runs and 12 RBI.
The 20-year-old has already matched his career high in homers, after putting four over the fence in 116 games in 2019 as an 18-year-old at Low-A. Mauricio's growth as a hitter is impressive, but his 3:13 BB:K indicates he still has some things to work on. Nonetheless, the Mets No. 4 fantasy prospect could be headed for a breakout campaign.
