The New York Mets are promoting infielder Luisangel Acuña, the younger brother of Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuña Jr., to the majors for his big-league debut, according to Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extra Base. The move was reportedly in the works before shortstop Francisco Lindor exited Friday’s game with back soreness, adds Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Acuña, 22, was obtained from the Texas Rangers at the 2023 trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Max Scherzer. At the time, he appeared to be a promising middle-infield prospect with a legitimate chance at further development. Alas, Acuña has not played up to his billing since joining the Mets. This season alone, he’s batted .258/.299/.355 with twice as many strikeouts as walks at Triple-A.
The Mets’ hope is that Acuña can still provide value as a utility player. They had him training at three positions this year — he made at least 30 appearances at shortstop, second base, and center field — and he’s a plus runner who has shown an aptitude for stealing bases. He’s succeeded on 40 of his 54 attempts this year, as well as on 80% for his minor-league career.
The Mets recently acquired infielder Eddy Alvarez from the Boston Red Sox after learning second baseman Jeff McNeil would miss the remainder of the season with a broken wrist. Acuña would appear to bring a more well-rounded game to the table, making him the kind of upgrade that can help influence a tight playoff race during the home stretch.
Sure enough, the Mets entered Saturday with an 81-66 record that puts them in sole possession of the National League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Mets will enter play with a one-game lead over the Atlanta Braves. Those two teams have one final series remaining against each other that will take place from Sept. 24-26.
That series could be significant in two ways: 1) it may determine who wins the wild-card spot; and 2) it will represent the first time both Acuña brothers are present at the same MLB game (though, again, Ronald will not be active).
