He’s not yet ready to play the field, but at least he’ll be back hitting. While most make it back from torn ACLs in 12 months or a bit less, Mauricio has struggled to overcome the injury he sustained playing winter ball. He could get a look as a utilityman in the second half if he shows he’s healthy.

Mauricio’s recovery from the injury sustained in winter ball nearly 16 months ago hasn’t gone as smoothly as expected, and he was unable to play in any spring training games. He still might factor into the Mets infield at some point this summer, but he’ll spend a fair amount of time in Triple-A first.

Mauricio missed all of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL in December of 2023. The 23-year-old may not have an everyday spot in 2025 regardless, but it seems very likely that he’ll begin the season in Triple-A to get him more at-bats after a full campaign without them.

The 23-year-old tore his ACL last offseason during a game in the Dominican Winter League, and there had been some hope that he would be ready to go by the start of the 2025 season. However, he underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee in August and has started to ramp up his recovery but is coming along slowly. According to Puma, “Mets officials are taking it day by day” with Mauricio, which makes some sense given how long he’s been out. The team also needs to figure out where to play him. With Luisangel Acuna now on the roster, along with Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Drew Gilbert, and Ryan Clifford, there are plenty of names for potential spots at second base, third base, and corner outfield. The Mets will need to use 2025 to determine which players they see as key parts of their lineup moving forward.