Opinion: Time for Mets to Move on From Daniel Vogelbach

Ever since the National League instituted a permanent DH, the Mets simply have not been able to get much at all from the position. In the first half of 2022, the team thought they could mix and match players like J.D. Davis, Dominic Smith, and Robinson Canó but failed to get consistent production. Then, they made trades for the likes of Darin Ruf and Daniel Vogelbach to mixed results.

Entering 2023, Ruf was cut before the season began, but Vogelbach was slotted in as the team’s primary DH against right-handed pitchers. While Vogelbach has a fun personality and a great eye at the plate, his production has simply not been there, and it’s now time for the Mets to accept he is not the answer.

After going 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts on Tuesday night, Daniel Vogelbach is 6-for-47 with 1 extra-base hit, 1 RBI, and 16 K's.

He's now hitting just .209/.345/.304 for the season.

Mets have to make a decision here. Can't continue to get zero production from primary DH.

— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) June 7, 2023

Vogelbach has hit just two home runs this year, but for a while, his ability to draw walks and get on base was still a somewhat valuable asset. However, in recent weeks, he hasn’t even been doing that. His slugging percentage has dropped to just .304, and he has collected only 1 RBI in the last month.

Somewhat inexplicably, Buck Showalter decided to bat Vogelbach fifth in last night’s series-opening loss to the Braves. Vogelbach struck out three times on the day and grounded out in his final plate appearance in the ninth inning.

The Mets are in a position where they need to once again take action to fix their DH position. The team called up Mark Vientos three weeks ago but has been playing him sparingly in favor of veterans like Vogelbach and Tommy Pham. While Vientos hasn’t exactly lit up opposing pitching thus far in his big-league career, he hasn’t been able to establish any sort of a rhythm due to his inconsistent playing time.

The longer the Mets wait to move on from Vogelbach, the less time they will have to determine if Vientos is a viable option moving forward, or if the team needs to consider making a move before the MLB trade deadline. Despite their 30-31 record, the Mets will assuredly be buying at the deadline as they try to turn their season around. With the bullpen and possibly the starting rotation being top priorities, the team would probably love it if they could rely on internal options to lengthen out the lineup.

To make matters worse, the Mets, who have a thin bullpen right now and are desperate for reliable late-inning relievers, could really use someone like, say, Colin Holderman (2.74 ERA in 23 IP) who the Mets traded for Vogelbach last season.

Vientos, Mark Canha, and even Francisco Álvarez profile to be better DH solutions right now than Vogelbach. It’s clear Showalter has an affinity for him, but the Mets simply don’t have time to let him to continue to take up more at-bats from such an important position in the lineup. Plus, letting go of Vogelbach may allow the Mets to make room for Ronny Mauricio (if he is healthy), who has been tearing it up in Triple-A. Or, it gives them the flexibility to bring back up someone like Luis Guillorme, or try out Danny Mendick. While they aren’t likely to be better offensive options than Vogelbach, they at least play the field, giving the Mets and Showalter more versatility when crafting the lineup card.

The Mets have already made a difficult decision to move on from a veteran this week by DFAing Tomás Nido. While letting Vogelbach go may not be as straightforward a choice, it’s becoming a more and more obviously the right decision as the days go on. If the Mets feel that’s too drastic of a step to take, they need to at least limit him to pinch-hitting spots against right-handers and stop putting him in the lineup, especially batting fifth.

The Mets’ lineup has struggled to score consistently and is becoming overly reliant on home runs to keep them in games, the opposite of the problem they had in the beginning of the season. Unfortunately, Vogelbach isn’t hitting home runs or getting on base consistently, meaning he’s making the lineup worse. It’s time for the Mets to make a tough decision, before it gets worse.

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