As expected, the Mets placed second baseman Daniel Murphy on the paternity leave list today. That opens up a spot on the 25-man roster for Wilmer Flores to make his 2014 debut. He'll do just that tonight, playing second base and, of course, batting second.
With Murphy expected back in the lineup tomorrow, this will probably be a one-game stint in the majors for Flores before he is sent back to Las Vegas in time for the Pacific Coast League opener.
There has actually been criticism of Murphy's decision to spend time with his wife during the time surrounding his child's birth. Sandy Alderson, however, says he has no problem with Murphy taking a couple of games off to be with his family.
Last season, Flores smoked Las Vegas pitching with a .321/.357/.887 line in 424 at-bats, but in the majors he hit just .211/.248/.295 in 95 at-bats. The Mets are reportedly going to give Flores a chance to play shortstop in the minor leagues this season. If he can even play adequately at that position, Flores could find himself with a starting role in the majors sooner rather than later.