Mets Notebook: Danny Mendick returns to the big leagues a year after ACL tear

PHILADELPHIA— Exactly a year ago, Danny Mendick was on the ground at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. He didn’ t immediately know what had happened after a collision with Adam Haseley and the Chicago White Sox removed him from the game with what the team called“ right knee discomfort.”. The Mets signed him to a free-agent deal over the winter and brought him up from...

PHILADELPHIA — Exactly a year ago, Danny Mendick was on the ground at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. He didn’t immediately know what had happened after a collision with Adam Haseley and the Chicago White Sox removed him from the game with what the team called “right knee discomfort.”

The diagnosis was a lot worse than just “discomfort.” Mendick tore his ACL and fractured his fibula. There was also a bone bruise on the side of his knee, which seemed like a meaningless injury compared to the others.

Saturday, he was called up to the big leagues for the first time since he was shut down for ACL surgery. The Mets signed him to a free-agent deal over the winter and brought him up from Triple-A Syracuse to take the spot of Eduardo Escobar on the roster after the latter was traded to the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night.

“The day after [the injury] happens and the day after the surgery, you’re sitting there like, ‘When is this ever going to happen?’” Mendick said Saturday at Citizens Bank Park. “And then to finally get the call and have all the work that you put in, and the times that were tough become worth it. For sure.”

Mendick was informed he was being called up Friday night after the Syracuse Mets’ game in Durham, North Carolina. He didn’t immediately recognize the date, but his dad reminded him after he called him with the news that he was on his way back to the Major Leagues.

A 22nd-round pick by the White Sox in 2015, Mendick played parts of four seasons with Chicago before the injury ended his career on the South Side. He’s played all over the diamond, having played second base more often than any other position. But he’s a capable defender at third base, where he spelled Brett Baty on Saturday, with Fangraphs ranking him as a slightly above-average defender at the hot corner.

“He’s a baseball player, and I mean that as a big compliment,” said manager Buck Showalter. “He gives us some versatility, much like Eduardo did.”

The 29-year-old utility infielder started at third base and hit ninth Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies. In 68 games with Triple-A Syracuse this season, he hit .264 with eight home runs and 35 RBI. An upstate native who played college ball at UMass-Lowell, Mendick enjoyed playing close to home again but he’s even more eager to play in front of family and friends in Queens.

COUSIN VINNY

Right-hander Vinny Nittoli made his Mets debut Friday night, throwing one scoreless inning and allowing only one hit. The 32-year-old last pitched in the big league for the Phillies, making two appearances last season. He’s only pitched in four Major League games over the last three years and he’s hoping that he’ll finally stick around in the bigs this season after having become somewhat of a minor league journeyman.

Nittoli sought out scouting reports from his previous teams, which all said that he wasn’t locating his pitches. So he’s worked to improve his execution and understanding of where those pitches need to go against which hitters.

“I think I finally have control of all four of my pitches and I’m throwing them in locations they should be thrown at,” Nittoli said. “Before, I wasn’t quite sure where to throw those pitches. I had a good four-pitch mix, but now I’m finally getting them to the exact locations of where I should throw those four pitches.”

Nittoli throws a four-seam fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, a sinker, a curveball and two variations of a slider. The Mets are using Nittoli while right-hander Drew Smith is serving his sticky stuff suspension, but with one Major League option left, it’s likely that he’ll be back with the big league team at some point this season, especially if his improvements lead to success. Or, they could keep him and option either right-hander Grant Hartwig or left-hander Josh Walker.

“I’m following my game plan to a tee and it seems to be paying off,” Nittoli said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Jeff McNeil was out of the lineup with a sore left wrist. The second baseman and 2022 NL batting title winner tweaked it in the first game of the series. The Mets don’t think it’s anything serious and said he could have played through the injury, but Luis Guillorme was used at second base instead to give him a break.

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