Sandy Alderson holds conference call, gives updates on Dom Smith, Jose Reyes, and more

Sandy Alderson held a conference call with the media this afternoon to discuss the state of the New York Mets following a homestand that saw the team win just one out of nine games. Since starting the season at 11-1, the Mets have won just 17 of their next 50 games.

Alderson led off by addressing the team’s most glaring problem right now — its offense — by stating simply that the team needs to score more runs. He took full responsibility for the team’s offensive struggles as of late, saying “We’re not satisfied, and the work that we’ve done to date has not been successful... I’m not happy about it.” The Mets have scored 13 runs during their last homestand, and as a whole are batting just .230 on the season. He also referred to the team’s bullpen, which just lost closer Jeurys Familia to the disabled list but got back Anthony Swarzak, as a “work in progress.” The Mets rank in the bottom third in the league in bullpen ERA (4.47) and FIP (4.30).

Alderson brought up the team’s decision to release Adrian Gonzalez and recall first baseman Dominic Smith, saying “It’s a good opportunity to see Dom Smith... this might be a short-term proposition for Dom; it might be longer-term”. Though the team cut ties with Gonzalez, it does not appear there is anything imminent on the horizon for the struggling Jose Reyes. Alderson said that any decision on Reyes “will be on the merits” and called him a “viable player for us.” Jose is coming off a game in which he both scored the game-winning run but also made two errors on a botched double play attempt on an Aaron Judge grounder in the eighth inning.

With Dom’s promotion, Alderson called it “very possible” that Binghamton Rumble Ponies first baseman Peter Alonso could be promoted to Triple-A Las Vegas soon, saying that he “wants it to be permanent” when it happens. Alonso is currently putting up a .310/.441/.567 slash line with 15 home runs in Double-A. The team is also considering promoting Binghamton second baseman Jeff McNeil to Triple-A. McNeil currently has a 1.053 OPS for the Rumble Ponies.

The Mets have been hit hard by injuries over the past few weeks. Sandy told the media that Asdrubal Cabrera, who was pulled from Sunday night’s game against the New York Yankees with a hamstring injury, will play tonight as the team begins a two-game series against the rival Atlanta Braves. Noah Syndergaard, who has been on the disabled list since May 29 with a strained ligament in his right index finger, will get a second opinion on the injury.

Lastly, the club is weighing its options with reliever AJ Ramos and is deciding between a potential surgery or a more conservative treatment on his injured shoulder. Alderson did not provide any timetable for the injured Yoenis Cespedes, who remains sidelined with a straight right quad.