CLEVELAND — Jorge Polanco is trying to swing his way back to productivity.
The veteran DH took about 300 swings Wednesday before the Mets faced the Guardians at Progressive Field, according to Andy Green, leaving the interim manager cautiously optimistic that success would follow.
Polanco delivered with a 2-for-4 performance that included his second homer of the season (and first since April). The third-inning blast snapped his 0-for-26 skid.
“After putting a lot of work in it feels great,” Polanco said following the 6-5 victory in 10 innings.
Polanco began the night with a paltry .388 OPS as the poster child of president of operations David Stearns’ failed offseason overhaul.
“Sometimes the sweat equity gets you rolling again,” Green said of Polanco’s workout. “There’s a ton of ability in him. There’s a long track record. If you’re out there watching him there’s a good swing. He’s got a lot of things going for him.”
Polanco, who arrived on a two-year contract worth $40 million, has dealt with Achilles and wrist injuries that have limited him to 30 games this season.
Sammy Stafura, acquired by the Mets in a trade Monday, was named the South Atlantic League (High-A) Player of the Month for July. The shortstop led the league in homers (14), RBIs (35), slugging percentage (.926) and OPS (1.305) among other offensive categories.
The Mets traded Luke Weaver to the Pirates for the 21-year-old Stafura.
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Jefry Yan became the seventh Mets player to make his major league debut this season — joining Nate Lavender, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing, Nick Morabito, Matt Seelinger and Zac Thornton.
Brett Baty, whose previous outfield appearances this season have been in right field, got the start in left Wednesday. Green indicated such an alignment was a product of wanting to keep Benge in right field.
“When you look out at this outfield, this is one of the biggest right fields in baseball and I think we know how good Carson is in right field,” Green said. “It’s a tighter left field, obviously a very big wall. If [Baty] has confidence in that position, which he does, that turns out to be his best position, especially at this field, and it keeps from jerking Carson back and forth.”
