Carlos Mendoza Gets Honest About Jorge Polanco's First Base Transition

The Mets skipper gave a blunt answer when asked about Jorge Polanco's transition to first base.

Feb 12, 2026; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; New York Mets infielder Jorge Polanco (11) takes infield practice during spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

The New York Mets took a massive gamble when they chose not to re-sign Pete Alonso and instead went in a rather interesting direction to fill the void at first base.

New York signed veteran infielder Jorge Polanco to a two-year deal this offseason to play first base, a position he's played just once during his career. The Mets are now hoping this move will pay off this season, given that David Stearns has harped on improving the defense since the end of last year.

First base work for Jorge Polanco this morning 💪 pic.twitter.com/MFqhzipsUH

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 20, 2026

During the Mets' spring training opener against the Miami Marlins on Saturday, manager Carlos Mendoza gave an honest assessment of Polanco's transition to first base during an in-game interview with Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling on SNY.

"This is another guy who came up as a middle infielder and now he's moving to a new position. That probably is going to take a little more time...everybody thinks 'oh, we put him at first base.' It's not that easy," Mendoza said.

"There's so much that goes on about that position, you're involved in so many different plays, fundamentals you gotta be aware of, pretty much what's going on, it's going well, but again, we gotta get him some game action."

"Everybody thinks, 'oh, we put him at first base.' It's not that easy."

Carlos Mendoza talks about Jorge Polanco's transition to playing first base: pic.twitter.com/ZSPXR6Xk9W

— SNY (@SNYtv) February 21, 2026

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Polanco already brings a prolific bat to the lineup, especially after batting .265/.326/.495 with 26 home runs, 78 RBI and an OPS of .821 in 138 games with the Seattle Mariners last year. But the Amazins' need the 32-year-old to play stellar defense for them at first base, as Alonso's defensive shortcomings were made up for by a superior bat. In that regard, the best way for Polanco to replace Alonso's production is to be an asset both at the plate and in the field.

As Mendoza alluded to during his in-game interview, he is hoping that Polanco will play in live games as soon as possible. Polanco, along with other notable starters Brett Baty, Luis Robert Jr., Francisco Álvarez, Mark Vientos, and Francisco Lindor, were all not in the starting lineup on Saturday against Miami.

Despite any concern about Polanco's shift to first base, the departure of Alonso to the Orioles opened the door to some more versatility at the position. The Amazins' have both Vientos and Baty as possible options; the former has experience at first base throughout his career, and the latter began taking reps at first last year due to Alonso's initial future with the Mets in flux at the time before re-signing.

Nonetheless, Jorge Polanco is poised to be the Mets' starting first baseman come Opening Day, and Carlos Mendoza is expressing patience in the long middle infielder's adjustment to a new position.

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