Mets shortstop Amed Rosario was not in the starting lineup in Sunday's 6-2 win against the Marlins, one day removed from an apparent lack of hustle on a fly ball.

There were mixed messages as to why Adeiny Hechavarria started at shortstop over Rosario for the rubber match.

Prior to the game, manager Mickey Callaway told reporters that Rosario had the day off, however, Wayne Randazzo said multiple times that Callaway informed him that Rosario was benched for not running out a fly ball in the eighth inning on Saturday.

On the play, there was a miscommunication between Marlins center fielder J.T. Riddle and right fielder Brian Anderson, and the ball fell to the ground between them. Rosario could have legged out a double had he hustled; instead, it was a single.

After the game, Callaway said Rosario hustles in most other instances, but he did not say the fly ball was the reasoning for Rosario's benching.

"I wouldn't call it disciplinary," Callaway said. "It was a night game, day game, there's opportunity there for another player [Hechavarria] to get in there and get him going."

Moments later, Rosario indicated the opposite.

"I think [not starting] was because of the consequences of me not running out that fly ball," Rosario, who did later enter the game as a pinch runner, said via translator. "I think I just got caught up in the emotion of popping out. It wasn't the best decision to make and that's just really what I feel about it."

Rosario also added that the message from Callaway behind closed doors was simple.

"He just said to run hard," Rosario said.

This isn't the first time the Mets have dealt with a situation like this.

In May, Robinson Cano appeared to take a lax approach to first base in back-to-back games when hitting into double plays. Cano wasn't reprimanded after the first one, but after the second, he didn't start the ensuing game. Although both Callaway and Cano played down the non-start as simply a day off.

During the Cano incident, Callaway said he did not believe in reprimanding a player to send a message. By comparison, it appears Callaway was a bit harsher on Rosario than Cano.

But when asked if he felt like he was being singled out for his actions, Rosario, who later appeared in the game as a pinch hitter, said no.

"It's just been my style of play where I come out always, always aggressive and this time you kind of noticed where I let my foot off the gas," he said.

Popular in the Community