Jose Siri suffered the injury when he fouled a ball off his leg.
The New York Mets are staring down a significant hole in center field after losing Jose Siri to a fractured left tibia, an injury that will sideline him for 8–10 weeks. The timeline was confirmed by team president David Stearns ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field.
How the Mets plan to fill that void is still very much up in the air. “I don’t think we know,” Stearns said candidly, summing up a situation that now calls for creative maneuvering and positional flexibility.
For now, Tyrone Taylor steps in as the de facto everyday center fielder, at least in terms of innings. But even that isn’t set in stone. Taylor, who began the season in a platoon with Siri, has struggled at the plate, slashing just .211/.237/.298 through his first 59 plate appearances. He offers solid defensive range, but he’s not Siri, whose speed and glove had become a cornerstone of the Mets’ outfield defense.
So the club is preparing for a more collaborative, by-committee approach. Brandon Nimmo, the club’s longtime center fielder before moving to left in 2024, is likely to rotate back into center on occasion. He knows the terrain well and can provide steadiness in key matchups, even if the Mets had hoped to keep him entrenched in left this season.
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Meanwhile, Jeff McNeil, currently on a rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse, is being prepped for a return that could include some time in center. The former batting champ is expected to play second base on Tuesday and center field on Wednesday as part of a two-game stint designed to test both his oblique and his versatility. While McNeil has logged only 16 career innings in center, the Mets are clearly open to using him wherever they need coverage, especially with Luisangel Acuña, his recent replacement at second base, also getting pregame reps in center.
Speedster José Azocar was recalled as a fifth outfielder to round out the bench, but he’s not expected to see regular action.
With no obvious long-term answer in-house, trade speculation has already started bubbling. One intriguing possibility? A potential deal with the Boston Red Sox for 24-year-old defensive whiz Ceddanne Rafaela.
Rafaela, a Curaçao native, is widely regarded as one of the best defensive center fielders in the majors, and he could become expendable in Boston as top prospect Roman Anthony nears his big-league debut. With the Red Sox already loaded with outfield talent, moving Rafaela could be a way to create space and address other needs.
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“As Roman Anthony seemingly has nothing left to prove at the Triple-A level,” wrote Jonathan Vankin of Newsweek, “the Boston Red Sox, already stacked with outfielders, will soon need to make room for another one.”
For the Mets, it’s a logical fit. Rafaela’s glove would help stabilize the outfield in Siri’s absence, and his bat, while inconsistent, might be good enough to justify everyday playing time given the circumstances.
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