WASHINGTON — Terry Collins can’t understand the uproar about Juan Lagares’ disappearance from the Mets’ lineup last week.
Lagares started a second straight game on Sunday — he went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the Mets’ 6-3 loss to the Nationals — after spending four of the previous five games on the bench.
That disappearance from the lineup led fans on Twitter to start a “Free Lagares” campaign. The continued questioning on Sunday about Lagares’ playing time left Collins agitated before the game.
“It’s not like I sat him for seven days,” Collins said. “We get a little carried away here. Somebody gets a day off here and it’s like the sky is falling. It’s not. He’s the center fielder.
“This is what the market is here. If I give [Curtis Granderson] a day off, he’s benched. If I give [Chris Young] a day off, he’s benched. If I give Juan a day off, he’s benched. That’s not really the case, but I know you’ve got to sell newspapers so do what you’ve got to.”
Young was on the bench Sunday, with Eric Young Jr. and Granderson joining Lagares in the starting outfield. Collins said it’s a challenge juggling four outfielders for three spots.
“[But] I don’t get too bent out of shape about it because I know in the long run, over the next 120 games, they are all going to play,” he said.
Jenrry Mejia was available to pitch and likely would have received the call in a save situation, giving him back-to-back appearances for the first time since switching to a relief role. But with the Mets trailing, Collins kept Mejia in the bullpen.
On Saturday, Mejia earned his first major league save by pitching a scoreless ninth against the Nationals. Collins will look to get Mejia back-to-back appearances on the upcoming homestand.
“His issue with the relief stuff is, can he handle it physically?” Collins said. “That’s one of the things we’ve got to find out. Can he handle it physically? If he can, he will be as good as there is in this game. It’s going to take a while.”
Collins said he considered challenging the ruling at third base in the first inning, when Daniel Murphy was called out on a tag play after taking a wide turn on the base.
But the manager said the replay wasn’t conclusive enough to risk wasting his challenge.
“It’s the first inning, and I don’t won’t to burn it right there in case it’s close late in the game,” Collins said.