Ruben Tejada grabbed his glove and his cap and headed for infield practice before Saturday’s game at Citi Field, trying to keep his spirits up when his future with the Mets looks so bleak.
He was not in the starting lineup against the Phillies for the second straight night after going 1-for-10 over three brutal games against the Braves. He watched from the bench as the Mets lost 7-2 in a season that quickly is becoming a month-long audition for 2015. Whether Tejada is part of that audition looks more doubtful with each passing day.
Tejada’s most recent slump dropped his batting average to .225 and extended what has been a disappointing season for a player who was once thought to be the heir apparent to Jose Reyes. If there was one last chance for Tejada to fulfill that destiny, one last chance to make finding an alternative at shortstop not such a high priority, it might have passed in his brutal series against the Braves, during which he hit .100 and committed a costly error in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss.
The Mets have been in the market for a shortstop since electing not to resign Reyes after the 2011 season. The club had hoped Tejada would develop into a productive every day starter, but those expectations have faded.
Wilmer Flores started at short against the Phillies on Saturday night and figures to get most of the playing time the rest of the season. Though Flores hasn’t been much of an upgrade, he had a run-scoring single in the seventh Saturday night for his only hit.
Meanwhile, there are rumors everywhere the Mets are interested in just about every kind of available shortstop from high-priced veterans like Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro to unproven prospects. Tejada hears all the discussion that indicates his days as a Met might be numbered, but tries not to dwell on it.
“I don’t pay any attention to it,” the native of Panama said before Saturday’s game. “My job is to get better. I want to finish strong and stay ready. You never know what is going happen whether it’s here or someplace else.”
Maybe it never was fair for Tejada to follow Reyes, who was talented, dynamic and very much a showman. Tejada is quiet and unassuming. He shows up, plays hard, tries to be a good teammate and hopes to contribute. That never has been enough. Not when the Yankees have a legend playing the position across town, and memories of Reyes hitting triples off the wall in Citi Field still are fresh.
The Mets finally have figured out what has been evident all along. Tejada is closer to the player that has hit .250 for his career than the player that batted .289 in 2012. The Mets are searching for a star at short stop and Tejada never will be that. Still, he is just 24, which is why the club still has to think long and hard before deciding whether to let him go for good.
Tejada seems almost resigned that his future might be somewhere else and is prepared to move on.
“I’ll have to,” he said. “I know this is a business. Right now, I’m working for this team. But you never know whether you’re going to stay here or go to another team.”
Tejada might need a fresh start, somewhere beyond the shadow of Reyes, and for a team without as many glaring needs as the Mets. Maybe it will be a new team where the expectations aren’t as high and the need for a bat at his position isn’t as great.
If Tejada has lost his confidence he doesn’t show it. Then again, he isn’t the kind of player that shows his emotions. He prefers to offer a soft smile in response to criticism and believes only good things are ahead.
“I’m a better player than I was when I got here,” he said. “But I’ve got to keep working and stay positive all the time. Even if somebody says something bad or isn’t on the same page with me, I’ve just have keep working and not worry about it.”
Even when his future with the Mets looks so bleak.