The Mets Are Dealing With Infield Injuries Just Fine, Thanks

There are any number of logical team strategies for dealing with injuries. Call up help from the minor leagues. Get a little more creative than usual with your defensive alignments. Let a catcher make his first career appearance at third base, but live in such terror of him actually having to field the ball that you force him to switch positions with the second baseman every time a right-handed hitter comes to the plate.

Guess which one the Mets chose tonight?

Infielders Wilmer Flores and José Reyes were both scratched for today’s game against the Yankees due to strained rib cage muscles. That left the Mets to play catcher Travis d’Arnaud at third for the first time in his career—but seemingly not with very much confidence in him, as they did everything possible to avoid him having to actually touch the ball. Namely, they swapped him out with Asdrubal Cabrera at second base just about every time they thought a ball had a chance of heading to third (i.e., every righty.)

D’Arnaud did manage to catch a pop-up at second, shown in the highlight reel below with his enormous relieved grin included.

Thoughts and prayers to everyone who tried to score this game.