JUPITER, Fla. — Jeff McNeil’s oblique injury opened up another spot for Opening Day and most of the attention has been focused on popular names like Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuña.
But they aren’t the only players who have made an impression, with Carlos Mendoza noting the attributes of two other potential bench players, Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos.
“Walton is a baseball player,” Mendoza said. “He’s a smart player. He knows where to be [and] where to go.”
As for De Los Santos, who was reassigned to minor league camp, Mendoza praised his “versatility.”
“He can go play anywhere and impact the baseball, as well,’’ the manager said. “They both have big league experience. … We’ll see how it goes.”
For Walton, who started at second base and went 0-for-3 with a run scored in a 6-5 split-squad win over the Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium, it’s a potential opportunity long in the making.
The 30-year-old has appeared in 70 games over five seasons in his MLB career, dating back to 2019 with the Mariners.
Walton signed a minor league deal with the Mets this past offseason after spending last year with the Giants, but he was drafted by the Mets in the 36th round out of high school in 2012.
At the time, Walton opted to follow his father, Rob, to Oklahoma State, where he was the pitching coach.
A one-time Orioles pitching prospect, Rob Walton was previously the head coach at Oral Roberts, where he coached Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
Donovan Walton didn’t consider signing with the Mets out of high school and went on to play at Oklahoma State.
Now, he’s hoping to get back to Queens.
Walton said he still recalls a trip in 2003 that he took to Shea Stadium with his father, a native of East Rutherford.
“It was a doubleheader against the Diamondbacks and I fell in love with the uniform,’’ Walton said of the Mets.
Having grown up rooting for the Texas Rangers, Walton soon became a fan of players like Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Jose Reyes.
Walton went on to get drafted in the fifth round by Seattle in 2016 out of Oklahoma State, but he’s never played more than 25 games in a season in the majors.
“You find out who you are,” Walton said. “Everyone wants to hit home runs, but even in college, I knew I was gonna be a player that was gonna get on base and do whatever it takes to help the club win. I take pride in it. I enjoy it.”
And with the lefty-swinging McNeil on the shelf, as well as a utility spot still to be filled, Walton — also left-handed — could find his way onto the team.
“That would be cool,’’ Walton said. “I try not to look towards something like that and just focus on today. If it happens, great. If it doesn’t, that’s OK. I’ll keep going.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
