With Travis d’Arnaud missing time with a shoulder injury and struggling at the plate all season, the Mets were all but forced to inquire about Jonathan Lucroy.

The Mets interest in Lucroy was understandable as the team needed another bat in the lineup with Lucas Duda and David Wright being gone for the season, Yoenis Cespedes being hobbled with a quad injury, and Curtis Granderson, Michael Conforto, and yes, d’Arnaud having down seasons.  The Mets needed another bat, and Lucroy seemed to be the answer with him hitting .299/.359/.482 with 17 doubles, three triples, 13 homers, and 50 RBI.  That was the type of production the Mets were hoping to add at the trade deadline.

For whatever reason, the Mets were not able to swing a trade for Lucroy at the trade deadline.  However, they were able to get Lucroy’s production.

Since the trade deadline passed, d’Arnaud is hitting .311/.354/.444 with two homers and three RBI.  It is exactly what the Mets were hoping to get from him after a season in which d’Arnaud hit .268/.340/.485 with 14 doubles, one triple, 12 homers, and 41 RBI in 67 games last year.  It seems that d’Arnaud has turned his season around.

It could be that his shoulder is feeling better.  It could be a mechanical adjustment he has made at the plate.  It could also be that he is able to just relax and go out there and hit now that the trade deadline has passed.  Whatever the case may be, the important thing from the Mets perspective is they seem to have d’Arnaud back.

Editor’s Note: this was also published on Mets Merized Online