Jason Bay will replace Kirk Nieuwenhuis at top of the line-up on return - MLB Update
Left fielder Jason Bay will take over the position currently held by Kirk Nieuwenhuis in the line-up as he comes back after injury. Bruised ribs had caused him to miss out games and stay out for some time before rehabilitating completely.
As soon as doctors termed Bay fit for playing baseball, the New York Mets' manager Terry Collins stood up explaining an immediate need by the club to have him.
Despite the fact Nieuwenhuis is doing great job as starter, Bay will be thrust to his position right away. In turn, Nieuwenhuis will test his luck down in the line-up and will try to be as effective as he has been up the order.
Bay had left the season on April 23 and for games he had played until then, his batting average was .240.
While his batting average was just reasonable, three home runs and five RBIs he had contributed reflect his slugging prowess.
Since he is now free of the effects of any sort of injury, one can believe, he will be even better on his return. While this is so, he will soon take his current season average closer to what he has maintained throughout the career.
To understand how important a player he is for the Mets, his career 719 RBIs and 206 home runs speak enough.
While one can take surprise about how effectively the Mets performed even in his absence, if it was not for the legendary hitting display by third baseman David Wright, their fate will have been worse.
The fact Wright along with Nieuwenhuis surged to an uncanny level of dominance on the plate kept the Mets on the surface and gave them a respectable position in the National League East Division Table.
With Bay available now, the manager Collins will have more options. As centre fielder Andres Torres is experiencing slight decline at the moment, just to make sure performance of the whole team does not get affected, Torres can be rested for few games and
replaced with Bay.
Against the backdrop of the confidence that the manager is putting in him, Bay will have a point to prove. Therefore, the rest of the season is going to be a big challenge for him.
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