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Try it freeRonny Mauricio continues to send reminders that he was a top prospect not all that long ago.
The Mets’ infielder hit a mammoth home run to right field Thursday with Triple-A Syracuse to continue his blistering showing in the minor leagues in his return from a torn ACL.
The 24-year-old now has three homers in just 57 minor-league at-bats.
Mauricio had long been hyped as a potential starter for the Mets and he showed promise during his 2023 call-up, hitting .292 with an .852 OPS.
That momentum, though, came crashing down after he suffered a torn ACL in Dec. 2023 during a Dominican Winter League game and also underwent a procedure to remove scar tissue.
Now that he’s healthy again, Mauricio is trying to work his way back to Flushing. He’s been spending time at second base and third base during his minor-league stint.
The Mets have Jeff McNeil and Luisangel Acuna at second base, and Brett Baty can play there too, but the road to Queens may not be completely shut.
McNeil has underwhelmed the last two years, although he’s off to a strong start this year. Acuna has cooled off and lost playing time since winning NL Rookie of the Month for April.
Any question about Mauricio’s readiness, though, is not a pressing once since the team plans to give him time to build back up after one year away.
Mauricio stayed in the minors once his rehab assignment ended, as Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said earlier this month.
The infielder has appeared in just 17 minor-league games thus far.
Thursday’s solo homer came in the eighth inning of Syracuse’s 12-3 win over Iowa, the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored while playing second base.
“He’s still got a little way to go to get back to being a healthy player, to get back into that true baseball shape, ready to compete at a high level in the big leagues,” Stearns said earlier this month. “It’s continuing to get him at-bats, get him reps in the minor leagues.”