What the Ronny Mauricio Injury Means For Mets

Ronny Mauricio’s injury opened a roster spot for Vidal Bruján, but the Mets may turn to Bo Bichette at shortstop.

Apr 7, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pinch hitter Ronny Mauricio (0) celebrates after hitting an RBI walk-off single during the tenth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Mets (11-22) entered Sunday with the worst record in Major League Baseball, and now they are on their third shortstop.

During Saturday night’s loss at Angel Stadium, Ronny Mauricio fractured his left thumb sliding into first base, landing him on the injured list alongside Francisco Lindor. With options thin at shortstop, the Mets are calling up Vidal Bruján from Triple-A Syracuse, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post.

Vidal Brujan will join the Mets from Syracuse, per source, to give the team another shortstop option with Ronny Mauricio headed to the IL. Bo Bichette finished at SS last night.

— Mike Puma (@NYPost_Mets) May 3, 2026

Mauricio, 25, got off to a torrid start to the 2026 season at Triple-A, batting .293/.349/.638 with six home runs and five stolen bases in 15 games. He was recalled April 23 after Lindor landed on the injured list with a Grade 2 calf strain, giving him an opportunity to start every day at shortstop.

Across 10 games with New York this season, Mauricio has produced a .219/.219/.313 slash line with two RBIs in 32 plate appearances. The 6-foot-3 switch-hitter came up clutch during Friday’s 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels, delivering a go-ahead home run in the seventh inning.

An absolute ROCKET for the lead 🚀😳 pic.twitter.com/WJeEzQ4yX3

— New York Mets (@Mets) May 2, 2026

Mauricio will join a growing list of Mets players on the injured list, including Lindor, Luis Robert Jr., Jorge Polanco and Kodai Senga. Fractured thumbs tend to take around six weeks to heal, and with Lindor expected to miss at least two more weeks with his calf injury, New York will be without its top two shortstops for a substantial amount of time.

Even though Bruján is a capable shortstop and is taking Mauricio’s spot on the active roster, he may not be stepping into the same everyday role. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza indicated Saturday night that Bo Bichette could slide over from third base in the short term.

Bichette, 28, was primarily a shortstop during his seven seasons in Toronto but switched positions upon signing with the Mets, who already had two Gold Glove winners in the middle infield. He has played his former position on occasion this season and even took over for Mauricio in the final four innings of Saturday’s game.

In 270.1 innings at third base this season, Bichette has committed only two errors while posting a .970 fielding percentage. He struggled defensively at shortstop in 2025, finishing with -13 Outs Above Average and -12 defensive runs saved.

A great play by Bo Bichette at third! pic.twitter.com/43HaLdws9O

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 30, 2026

Bruján, 28, has split his time between shortstop (101.2 innings), second base (53 innings) and third base (40 innings) with Syracuse this season. He has also appeared at all three outfield spots during his five-year MLB career, making him a superutility candidate for the Mets.

So far this season, Bruján owns a .241/.304/.313 (.618 OPS) slash line over 24 Triple-A games. The 5-foot-9 switch-hitter combined for a .616 OPS across 95 major league plate appearances in 2025.

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