Mets Optimistic About All-Star Slugger Yoenis Cespedes’ Return in 2020

Yoenis Cespedes in 2017. Photo by Valerie Shoaps/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

The New York Mets’ outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is set to return to baseball after almost two years of absence. According to the team’s general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, Mets are optimistic that Cespedes will be ready for the start of the 2020 MLB season.

Cespedes last played in early 2018, appearing in 38 games and batting .262 with nine home runs and 29 RBIs. He missed the rest of 2018 and the whole of 2019 due to heel and ankle fracture injuries.

But it appears that the break due to coronavirus pandemic allowed the two-time All-Star to recover and return to action.

”We’ll have to evaluate how the next few days go, but we’re optimistic,” said Van Wagenen in a chat with reporters on Monday. ”His bat can be a real impact and be a little bit of a separator for us as we compare ourselves to the rest of the teams in the league.”

Yoenis Cespedes has been with the Mets since 2015, joining the franchise in a trade from Detroit Tigers. Since then, he made one All-Star appearance and has Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards.

Cespedes, who also spent time with Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox, has .274 career batting average with 163 home runs and 524 RBIs.

Elsewhere in his talks with reporters, Van Wagenen said the team expects all players to report to Spring Training this week. Among them should be right fielder Michael Conforto, who recovered from muscle strained suffered back in March.

Ben loves sports so much but prefers watching other people do it. He prefers not to share what teams he's supporting but he is willing to admit that Lebron James is, in fact, the king.