New York Mets: Lucas Duda May be Coming Back this Season

Lucas Duda went on the shelf in late May with a lower back strain. The New York Mets were unsure of whether he may return this season, but the reigning National League champs may be getting their first baseman back sooner than expected.

A surprisingly strong performance towards the end last season put Lucas Duda on the map as a middle of the order hitter for the New York Mets in 2016. However, things have not gone as planned for the 30 year-old first baseman in recent months.

Since leading the Mets offense with likes of Yoenis Cespedes and Daniel Murphy during their run to the World Series, Duda was expected to be a key contributor for a team that was favored to win the NL East once again. After getting on-base at a .352 clip and hitting 27 long balls in 2015, the power hitter looked lost at the beginning of the regular season. He was able hit seven home runs in just 39 games, but his average, strikeout percentage and on-base numbers have taken a dip. His batting average dropped 13 points, while his on-base percentage fell by over 50 points from .352 to .297. On the bright side, he was striking out nearly five percent less.

Duda’s start got worse when he was diagnosed with a lower back strain in late May. The injury caused the first baseman to be physically inactive for the first 30 days of his recovery. He hasn’t appeared in a game since May 20, leading many Mets officials to think that they may have lost Duda for the rest of the year. But, with the team in the thick of the National League wild card race, the Mets received some positive news on the possibility of him getting back on the field at some point in September or possibly October.

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According to SportsNet New York, Duda just began hitting soft toss and will start taking batting practice in the coming days. This is the first baseball activity that he’s done for the past two-and-a-half months and is great news for a player that was thought of as being relegated to the dugout for the reminder of the baseball season on first diagnosis.

While his play was not where the Mets thought it may be over the first month, his possible return should not be downplayed. New York has fought through multiple injuries to crucial pieces like Steven Matz, Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom and Neil Walker all missing time. In fact, the club just lost Walker for the rest of 2016.

As of now, the Mets will have to rely on Yoenis Cespedes and trade deadline acquisition Jay Bruce to carry the offense to a postseason birth. So certainly any reinforcements would be much welcomed for Terry Collins. Duda coming back into the fold wouldn’t solve all the teams’ problems, but it would not doubt add some firepower to a struggling lineup.

Duda is nothing more than a typical boom or bust, power hitting, corner infielder. He will either launch one out of the stadium or he’s probably going to swing and miss, as is the nature of many home run hitters. The problem for the former seventh round pick is that he was not walking as much as he did last year. New York needs players that can get on-base, and Duda will have to do that if the first baseman is to make a true difference if he happens to return at some point this month.

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James Loney has been solid in his place, especially for a guy that was just picked up off the scrap heap midseason. But he does not offer the kind of power or upside that Duda does. Sandy Alderson said that, “He either makes it back or he doesn’t” (SNY). So the head of Mets is prepared to be with or without their first baseman. However, with the progress that he’s making, the Mets management may be hoping to insert him back in the batting order. Even if Duda is only used as a pinch hitter, his return in any form would be a much needed addition for an offense that lacks the ability to put up runs in bunches. The club has scored the fourth fewest runs in all of Major League Baseball this season.

But after all the injuries and all of the struggles, the Mets still sit just one game behind the St.Louis Cardinals for the final National League playoff spot. An unexpected addition of Duda would certainly help, albeit probably won’t be of great impact when looking at his struggles prior to the injury and the length of time that he has missed.

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What do you think of the Mets possibly getting Duda back? Let us know in the comments below.