Here was Fred Wilpon in the Mets dugout yesterday sitting with David Wright, Jose Reyes, Jason Bay and Terry Collins. The franchise players and manager were dressed in their home white uniforms, surrounding the beleaguered owner.
They were laughing it up for a photo shoot for the New Yorker magazine, which is working on a feature on Wilpon. They probably weren’t talking about the present.
Wright is down and out with a stress fracture in his lower back. Bay had been saddled with an early oblique injury and is struggling to catch up. Reyes is having an All-Star season, but figures to be traded because he will be a free agent after the season.
Watching the scene unfold, it made me wonder what “star” Mets will be surrounding Wilpon in a few years, if the owner survives his financial woes.
One player who figures to have a huge impact on the future of this team had just arrived earlier in the day, Shortstop of the Future Ruben Tejada.
“He’s really a good player, he’s my man,” Reyes said after the game against the Marlins was postponed. “That kid has so much talent and really wants to learn. He’s a good one.”
Reyes is doing everything he can to teach Tejada the ropes. Tejada was called up from Triple-A Buffalo because of the Wright injury. He will play second base and spell Reyes at shortstop.
Collins sees nothing but success for Tejada, who played in 78 games for the Mets last season after being forced into major league action because of injuries to Reyes. In 216 at-bats, Tejada hit just .213 but showed flashes of success. He’s only 21.
“He has a very good two-strike approach, one of the things I saw in Buffalo last year was his handling of the bat, deep into a count where he’ll take balls the other way,” Collins said. “He’s dangerous enough, he’s got just enough power that early in the count, if you give him a ball that he can drive, he’ll drive it and he’ll hit a homer. I think the future and the ceiling for this guy offensively is pretty high.”
Collins said Tejada could be here for a while and not just be an emergency Met.
“I can’t predict what will happen in two weeks with Ruben Tejada, but if he comes here and he plays the way I’ve seen him play in the past, you’ve got to figure out how to keep him,” the manager said.
If Reyes is traded, that opens a door.
“He’s got great hands,” Collins said of Tejada’s defense. “He’s got a great arm. I wanted him to play shortstop [in the minors], but right now we need him to adjust, I need him to play second base right now. I know he’s going to give us defensively as good as you’re going to need at second base for sure.”
When Tejada got the word Monday night he was going to the majors, the first person he called was his mother. He is excited to be back and said he learned a lot from last season. He batted .284 his final month in the majors. He has been following the Reyes saga.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” Tejada said. “You have to stay ready for anything.”
Tejada hit .267 at Buffalo, .303 with runners in scoring position. He had six doubles, three triples and three home runs.
“I feel really good,” said Tejada, who explained he has spent a lot of time working with Buffalo hitting coach Mike Easler, who played 14 years in the majors. “I’m more experienced. I’m ready.”
“He learns quickly,” Reyes said. “It’s not easy for a shortstop to move to second, and he played very good. The hardest part is turning the double play because at shortstop you can see the runner. I had trouble with that at second when I switched, but he made it look easy.”
Reyes, though, knows where Tejada is best suited.
“He’s a natural shortstop,” said the Shortstop of the Present.
That day is coming.
kevin.kernan@nypost.com