Not only will Jose Reyes reunite with his old club, but the shortstop, who signed with the New York Mets on Saturday, will move into a familiar spot in the team's lineup.
Manager Terry Collins told reporters Saturday that Reyes, who signed a minor-league deal with the club, will be the lead-off hitter when he's ready to join the team.
"That foot speed, that athleticism, when he's ready to go, we know this guy can lead a game off," Collins explained. "I think he brings something to our team obviously we don't have here. We can move Curtis (Granderson) in a different role now if (Reyes) is in that lineup."
The 33-year-old is familiar with the lead-off spot, hitting in the position during 1,350 of the 1,562 games he's played in his career, posting a .292/.341/.435 slash line with 441 walks. The only part of the batting order where he's had more success is hitting seventh, although that came in a three-game sample size.
New York doesn't anticipate Reyes being in their lineup for 7-to-10 days, but, upon his return, current lead-off hitter Curtis Granderson will hit elsewhere in the order to allow him more RBI opportunities.
Granderson, who, like Reyes, has spent the majority of his career as a lead-off hitter, has varying degrees of success elsewhere, but has more pop in his bat than his new teammate.
PLAYER | HR | RBI | SB | OPS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jose Reyes | 118 | 621 | 479 | .770 |
Curtis Granderson | 276 | 763 | 143 | .813 |
"Curtis has done a tremendous job, but we can use Curtis in a different role if Jose is in that lineup," Collins said.