Even with a smaller role, DJ Stewart believes he can help Mets win
With the score tied 1-1 in the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game against the Cubs, it looked to be deja vu for the struggling Mets offense.
They let seven no-hit innings from Luis Severino go by the wayside in Monday’s loss and it seemed that they may do that again for Sean Manaea and the bullpen on Tuesday.
But DJ Stewart came to bat and put a charge into a pitch from Cubs reliever Adbert Alzolay that went 388 feet over the right field wall to give the Mets the lead for good.
Perhaps runs from an unlikely source, but Mets manager Carlos Mendoza is not surprised by what his left-handed slugger did.
“He’s always ready to go,” Mendoza said after the game. “One pitch away from changing the outcome of a game, and that happened today….Good to see it. Good to see him with a big blast.”
As Stewart admired his home run, he looked at his dugout pointed and smiled before rounding the bases. After the game, Stewart said his smile was directed at one person in particular.
“Mendy tells me every day to smile. So I was smiling at him,” the left-handed hitting slugger said, referring to his manager.
That “always smile” mantra has followed Stewart since early April when he was mired in a slump at the plate -- going 0-for-12 to start the season -- when he smashed a home run in the Mets’ come-from-behind-win against the Braves in Atlanta on April 8.
Mendoza met Stewart at the top of the dugout steps to tell his player to smile. And while Stewart has had an up-and-down season so far since, Mendoza continues to encourage him and the other Mets players when they are frustrated at the plate.
But for Stewart, specifically, that encouragement goes a long way since he was the final player selected to the team’s 26-man roster.
“He knows it’s a tough spot to be in. It’s not a good feeling,” Mendoza said of being the last player selected out of camp. “But being honest with him and when we made the decision I made him know right away. Even when the season started, and J.D. [Martinez] was ramping up. there was a cloud on top of him. I’m glad he’s having a big impact on the team right now.”
Now that Martinez has joined the team and Starling Marte has returned from the bereavement list, playing time for Stewart may be hard to come by. Although Mendoza says he will find ways to get him in the lineup, the 30-year-old slugger knows he’ll have to continue to prove to the team that he deserves to be in it.
“I know what I did last year but that’s last year. I know what I’m capable of and I wanted to be a part of it and help this team," Stewart said. "Obviously, J.D. makes this team better and I feel like I can as well.
“This is the big leagues, you have to earn your opportunities every single day. Be ready whenever my name is called. I know that there are guys that can help us. I know what I’m capable of doing and I know I can help this team get to where we want to be.”
