JUPITER, Fla. — “Hell, yeah.”
Travis d’Arnaud actually didn’t use “hell,” but rather a word that even with all my seniority at The Post I cannot get printed for you fine readers.
He had just concluded a Sunday mid-morning batting-practice session at First Data Field and was about to embark on a 42-mile bus ride to Roger Dean Stadium, about to end a 320-day odyssey from scalpel to batter’s box. He was passionately responding to: “Are you elated to be playing in your first game since Tommy John surgery?”
“I’m excited, man,” d’Arnaud said. “I didn’t need coffee today. I didn’t need to work out today. It’s definitely been a long road. I’ve been looking forward to this day since April 17 of last year.”
D’Arnaud was the designated hitter Sunday against the Cardinals, delivering three ground balls, the last an RBI infield single. He is slated to DH Monday versus Boston, then work behind the plate in a minor league game, then an exhibition game by week’s end.
“The throwing is going well,” d’Arnaud said. “I checked off all the boxes. I’m ready to go.”
But go where? Pre-surgery he was the Mets’ starting catcher. Now, he is either the backup or the backup to the backup or perhaps unemployed. The Mets signed Wilson Ramos for two years at $19 million to start and brought back Devin Mesoraco on a minor league deal.
The Mets could release d’Arnaud by March 12 and owe 30 days pay (about $586,000) of his $3,515,000 salary or release him between March 13-27 and owe 45 days (about $878,500). But they have no intention to do so. Instead, if d’Arnaud is healthy, the Mets are leaning toward going with three catchers.
The Mets must alert Mesoraco by March 20 that he is on the 25-man roster or else he can leave if he can find a 25-man roster job elsewhere. So, Mesoraco said, “absolutely” when asked if he noticed Kansas City’s Salvador Perez is likely headed for Tommy John surgery and the Royals currently have no experienced backup.
Brodie Van Wagenen, though, is reluctant to surrender catching depth, noting the Mets lost d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki (fractured left hand) on consecutive days last April. He feels the team has created enough versatility elsewhere to carry three catchers, thinking the three catchers are all capable of pinch hitting and being double-switched into the game without losing insurance on the bench. All three also have long injury histories, plus Mesoraco is the preferred catcher of Jacob deGrom, at a time when that can only help job security.
The Diamondbacks and champion Red Sox were the lone teams to carry three catchers all last year. For Boston, Blake Swihart was out of options and the Red Sox did not want to lose him on waivers. Sources say the Red Sox do not intend to keep three again. The Royals are among teams that have had interest in Swihart in the past — Kansas City also has liked d’Arnaud, but is unlikely to obtain a catcher making a few million dollars and/or is in his walk year like d’Arnaud.
One of Boston’s other catcher, Christian Vazquez, is due to be at First Data on Monday. Matt Wieters, who is trying to make the Cardinals as Yadier Molina’s backup, was at Roger Dean on Sunday. Both underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015. The procedure is renowned for pitchers — four of the Mets’ projected five starters have endured it — but catchers are a distant second for needing the operation.
“You have to understand there will be times when it does not feel as good as yesterday,” Wieters said, offering catcher-to-catcher advice. “That’s OK. How good and strong can you get it to be today? Then move forward. It is a day-by-day thing, especially the first year back. Otherwise you will get into mental highs and lows if you come in and it feels great one day and less so the next. You have to have the confidence it is fixed, just you are trying to relearn what you have done for so long.”
As opposed to pitchers, who repeat deliveries and know when they will have to throw full force, catchers must unload from varied angles and without much warning when they will need to fire. Wieters said re-training the whole body to compensate for that type of workload that previously was handled mainly by the arm is vital. His greatest rehab regret was rushing to be ready for Opening Day 2016 (which he wasn’t). Van Wagenen emphasizes the Mets are letting the rehab dictate progress for d’Arnaud, not Opening Day.
D’Arnaud, though, has missed too much time with too many injuries. He yearns to play. He admitted being “jittery” before his first at-bat Sunday. Then it was thankfully baseball again.
“I believe in myself,” he told me about finding a meaningful role on this roster. “I know what I can bring to a team. Most importantly, I am hungry. I just want to go out and kick ass.”
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