It could be a Hail Mary play, but the Mets probably don’t have anything to lose.
With Ruben Tejada entrenched in another early-season slump that has left the Mets without any real offensive production at shortstop, there is a good chance team brass will take an extended look at Wilmer Flores at the position, according to a club source.
The 22-year-old Flores was recalled Thursday from Triple-A Las Vegas, where a recent offensive tear had him batting .307 with five homers and 25 RBIs in 29 games. To clear roster space, veteran infielder Omar Quintanilla was designated for assignment.
The source painted a picture in which the Mets could give Flores a two-week stretch beginning Friday to prove himself as the starter, with Tejada serving as a late-inning defensive replacement, as needed.
As it stands, the Mets extended their scoring drought to 23 innings in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss at Miami, which completed a 2-6 road trip.
Flores’ defense is a concern to the Mets. In addition to limited range, he committed seven errors at Las Vegas, where the “routine throw” was his biggest source of trouble, according to a talent evaluator who has watched Flores.
And there is concern Flores, coupled with limited-range Daniel Murphy in the middle of the infield, will leave the Mets even more vulnerable to groundball hits.
But the Mets are willing to make the trade-off in an effort to jump-start an offense that is among the worst in the major leagues in most categories.
“We are looking for ways to improve our offense, so [Flores] will get some playing time,” manager Terry Collins said, noting he still hasn’t reached a final decision on how much Flores will play.
But it’s possible Tejada has already been told he is headed to the bench. He was visibly agitated after Collins used Bobby Abreu to pinch hit for him in the eighth inning on Wednesday and was consoled by at least two teammates in the clubhouse afterward. It was Tejada’s third straight start in which he wasn’t allowed to hit late in the game.
Tejada is entrenched in an 0-for-15 slump that has dropped his average to .183.
“I don’t make any decisions,” Tejada said. “It’s the manager who has control of that. I have to work hard and stay ready to play.”
Tejada said the fact he struggled last season before a quadriceps injury landed him on the disabled list — he was ultimately kept at Las Vegas after his rehab ended — has toughened his resolve.
“I think that’s why I feel more concentrated, because it happened to me last year, and last year I [eventually] put everything together,” Tejada said. “I think even my defense was affected last year. I try to separate offense and defense and keep my head up and keep working.”
Tejada’s disappointing start comes following an offseason in which the Mets passed on free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew after missing on Jhonny Peralta, who signed a four-year contract worth $52 million with the Cardinals.
Peralta later told The Post the two-year offer he received from the Mets was “not really good.”
Flores is best suited as a corner infielder, but David Wright has third base locked up for the foreseeable future and the organization is committed to Lucas Duda at first base, having traded Ike Davis to the Pirates.
But the Mets began using Flores at shortstop in spring training with the idea he could be a safety valve if Tejada faltered. In 95 at-bats for the Mets last season, Flores hit .211 with a homer and 13 RBIs.
“You’ve got to believe they will play [Flores] every day to see if his bat plays in the big leagues,” a major league talent evaluator said. “That’s unless his defense takes him down.”