New York Mets Utility Player Unlikely For Opening Day

Not looking good.

New York Met's Darin Ruf's continued wrist issues and struggles this spring could very well lead to him beginning the season on the injured list, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic.

Darin Ruf talks about his wrist arthritis:

"I'm not a doctor, so I don't know how this condition works. Sometimes I think it will bother me, and sometimes it doesn't. I think it's a pain management thing, but I don't know" pic.twitter.com/xSIaLvso7Y

— SNY (@SNYtv) March 11, 2023

Ruf was expected to fill a role as a right-handed platoon option at DH, but so far this spring he's gone 2-for-11 at the plate with five strikeouts. In addition, he's been injured all camp, so he's been forced to sit out a lot of games as well.

Also, with the impressive performances of some of their top prospects this spring, including Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, the Mets have extra reason to place Ruf on the IL to start the season. 

In addition, Vientos offers more defensive versatility and, at this point, even offensive ability than Ruf.

The 36-year-old Ruf joined the Mets midway through the 2022 season, and went on to post an abysmal .152/.216/.197 triple-slash line, with zero home runs, seven RBIs and six runs scored across 28 games and 74 plate appearances.

Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports