Mets Should Designate Justin Turner For Assignment

Last night, Terry Collins inexplicably started Justin Turner over Ike Davis at first base. He shouldn't have had the option.

In limited playing time this year, Turner has been even worse than he was last year. He didn't exactly set the bar high, hitting .260/.334/.356 with a .311 wOBA in 2011, but he is hitting .258/.302/.326 with a .280 wOBA this year.

It's hard to figure out why exactly Turner has been on the Mets' roster all along. While he's been a good hitter in high-leverage situations, there's no reason to believe Turner is capable of maintaining such production. And although Turner has played all four infield positions this season, calling him a utility player is really a misnomer since he's not particularly adept at playing any of them.

The Mets have a pair of players readily available in Buffalo, each of whom could probably provide an upgrade over Turner in the same role: Valentino Pascucci and Josh Satin. Both are right-handed hitters who have shown an ability to get on base and hit for power in the minors.

Of course, the Mets had a player a lot like Pascucci and Satin in Vinny Rottino, but he is now with the Cleveland Indians because the Mets chose to designate him rather than Turner for assignment when Ronny Cedeno and Ruben Tejada returned to the active roster. Still, the Mets have the opportunity to atone for a bad decision by making a better one now.