Inside The Mets

Mets' Carlos Mendoza Hints Top Prospect Could be September Call-Up

New York manager Carlos Mendoza appears to have one prospect in mind for the September 1 call-ups.

Grant Young

Jul 27, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) in the dugout before a game against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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September 1 marks the day when MLB teams can expand from their current 26-player rosters to 28 players for the remainder of the 2024 regular season.

Before 2020, the annual September 1 call-ups allowed MLB teams to expand their rosters to 40 players, which presented a golden opportunity for minor leagues players to realize their big league dreams and prove their worth on the biggest stage.

But with the post-pandemic 28-player roster limit, teams must be much more selective with the players they elect to promote.

And Mets manager Carlos Mendoza appears to have at least one prospect already in mind for his looming call-up decision.

Tim Healey of Newsday published an August 28 X post that wrote, "Carlos Mendoza said the Mets will value speed and versatility in deciding who to call up on Sept. 1 (Sunday)."

This has both fans and analysts convinced that one of the September 1 call-ups will be Mets prospect Luisangel Acuña, who has both speed and versatility in spades.

Acuña (who is the younger brother of Braves' superstar Ronald Acuña Jr.) is currently the Mets' No. 12 overall prospect. He has spent the 2024 season playing for the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, where he has amassed a whopping 34 stolen bases in 117 games this year.

He is also an extreme utility player, having experience playing shortstop, second base, and the outfield in professional baseball.

Calling the 22-year-old Acuña up would make perfect sense for the Mets. He can fill in at multiple positions, be a major baserunning threat late in games, and can more than hold his own at the plate.

Fans will have to wait until Sunday to see which two players the Mets will call-up. But if Mendoza's comments are any indication, it seems likely that Acuña will be playing at Citi Field shortly.

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Grant Young

GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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