The Mets will give Lucas Duda an extended stretch of starts at first base beginning on Friday night, according to a report by Andy Martino of the Daily News. Assuming the Mets stick to that plan, Duda should start at least the next six games, as the Mets are not slated to face a left-handed pitcher over that span. This means, of course, that Ike Davis will be relegated to a bench role over the Mets' next couple of series.
Sandy Alderson had hoped to trade one of Davis or Duda over the offseason, ideally to bring back a return that would help the Mets get better while clearing the logjam of platoon left-handed first basemen. Unfortunately that didn't happen, and the team is currently carrying three first basemen.
Duda has hit .246/.341/.423 over the course of his career. That translates to a .336 wOBA and 115 wRC+. Against right-handed pitching, he's hit .254/.356/.455 with a .354 wOBA and 127 wRC+. While Duda and Davis have pretty similar career numbers, Davis really struggled in 2013, which might explain why Duda is getting the first shot at winning the job.