MLB News: How Jose Bautista Will Be Able to Help the New York Mets for the Rest of This Season
Slugger Jose Bautista was the home run-mashing machine occupying the heart of the Toronto Blue Jays' lineup for the better part of this decade.
Unfortunately, after a subpar 2017, Bautista found himself out of a job heading into the 2018 season.
It wasn't until the Atlanta Braves gave him a shot that he found his way back to the Majors, but that team cut him not long after signing him.
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Bautista is getting another chance, however.
The New York Mets have just signed Bautista to a one-year deal, and he was even in the lineup on the same day he affixed his signature to his new contract.
Bautista's Mets debut went about as well as could be expected.
In three at-bats, Bautista struck out twice, but he also hit a double off of Miami Marlins' starter Caleb Smith and scored a run.
So, now that Bautista is in the fold, how should the Mets go about deploying their newest hitter?
Recent comments made by Bautista after the game could be hinting at what role he will have with the team.
During a post-game Q&A session with some members of the media, Bautista said that he does not feel any less comfortable facing right-handed pitchers now, but he does admit that his recent production suggests that he's faring better against southpaws.
Notably, Bautista was pinch hit later in the game by the lefty-swinging Jay Bruce.
Bautista's first game with the Mets may actually be indicative of what kind of role he will have the team moving forward, with that being an outfielder who gets starts against left-handed pitchers.
In his prime, there was no significant gap between how Bautista hit against right-handers and southpaws as he was an equal opportunity masher, but for this year, there is a noticeable difference.
Per Baseball Reference, Bautista still hits like his old self against left-handed pitchers in a limited number of at-bats this year, but he's been close to an automatic out whenever he's had to face a righty.
Small sample size caveats obviously apply, but the gap is large enough that it's difficult to ignore.
In all likelihood, the Mets will stick with running Bautista out there against lefties, but if he starts to get hot at the plate, it wouldn't be that surprising if they give him more chances to bat against right-handers.
For the Mets, bringing Bautista in primarily as a platoon bat is a low-risk but potentially moderately rewarding move. More than a few Mets are on the disabled list right now, including some outfielders, so now is the right time for them to add some extra bats and see if any of them will stick.
Bautista's best days as a baseball player are already behind him, but this veteran hitter may still be able to contribute something. The Mets are hoping that there's still some thump left in that bat, and Bautista will do what he can to prove them right.
More news about the latest MLB transactions should be made available soon.
