Last night, even with Ali Sanchez‘s spot in the lineup coming up soon, Luis Rojas made the decision to pinch hit Robinson Cano for Amed Rosario. In the backdrop of that decision was Andres Gimenez going on the IL for “undisclosed reasons.”

While the decision might’ve seemed odd in real time, the more you break it down, you can understand the move. Digging deeper, you really have to question whether Rosario should continue to be the everyday shortstop.

Fact is, Rosario is giving the Mets very little reason to play him at all.

Through 21 games, Rosario is hitting just .212/.212/.391. As you can probably ascertain from that batting line, Rosario has yet to draw a walk in any of his 85 PA this season.

In fact, going back to last year, he hasn’t drawn a walk over his last 138 PA. It’s one of the reasons he has a 45 wRC+.

Digging into his Baseball Savant page, there doesn’t appear to be a positive or signs of hope. His hard hit percentage, barrels, and exit velocities are very low. Also, for as free a swinger as he is, he cannot afford to have a below average contact rate.

The other issue is the Mets can’t use his defense as an excuse to play him. At the moment, he’s a -2 DRS at short albeit with a 0.5 UZR/150. Undoubtedly, he’s made strides defensively, but he’s still a below average fielder.

When you get a below average fielder who is completely lost at the plate, you get a player who is at a -0.3 WAR. Over a 162 game season, that’s on pace for a -2.2 WAR.

While this is happening, Luis Guillorme continues to push for more playing time. So far this year, Guillorme is hitting .433/.500/.533 with three doubles and six RBI.

Guillorme is a gifted middle infielder. He has the range and hands to play either position well. Admittedly, he’s a better second baseman, but he can definitely handle SS.

At this moment, it’s very difficult to justify playing Rosario everyday when Guillorme can play SS right now. At second, the Mets have their option of Cano or Jeff McNeil. Of course, Guillorme can also slide back to second when Gimenez comes off the IL.

All told, the. Mets have options. No matter the path they pursue, at the moment, they can’t play Rosario everyday right now. He’s being outplayed by everyone, and with the Mets having slim postseason hopes, they can’t spend time hoping it finally clicks for Rosario.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean give up on Rosario all together. He is far too talented and too hard a worker to do that. It’s all going to click one day, and the Mets will have a star on their hands.

It’s just that it’s not clicking now, and no one benefits by throwing him out there everyday. It’s time to sit Rosario, give him a mental break, work on some things, and to give the Mets their best chance to win. If all works out, Rosario can still be a big part of the Mets making the postseason.