"He’s a smart player": Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza eyes Donovan Walton as Jeff McNeil's potential replacement

With the New York Mets’ Jeff McNeil’s oblique injury, another spot has been opened up for Opening Day. While most of the attention has now been diverted to popular names such as Brett Baty and Luisangel Acuna, however, they aren’t the only players who have made an impression on the New York Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza. He found potential in bench players — Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos as well.

With an open spot for Jeff McNeil, the New York Mets’ left fielder, both Donovan Walton and Luis De Los Santos have spotlights on them. The New York Mets’ manager Carlos Mendoza claimed Walton is a smart baseball player. He said:
“Walton is a baseball player, he’s a smart player. He knows where to be and where to go.”

Carlos Mendoza has also praised De Los Santos for his versatility. Santos was reassigned to a minor league camp. Mendoza said:
“He can go play anywhere and impact the baseball, as well,’ They both have big league experience…We’ll see how it goes.”
For Walton, who is 30 years old and has appeared in 70 games over five seasons in his Major League Baseball career, starting with 2019 with the Mariners. He signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets this past offseason after spending last year with the Giants, but he was drafted by the Mets in the 36th round out of high school in 2012.
Walton decided to follow his father, Rob, to Oklahoma State. Rob was also the pitching coach. A one-time Orioles pitching prospect, Rob Walton was previously the head coach at Oral Roberts, where he coached Mets’ pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Donovan Walton didn’t consider signing with the Mets out of high school and went on to play at Oklahoma State.
Now, he’s hoping to get back to Queens. Walton also recalled a trip in 2003 that he took to Shea Stadium, along with his father, who is a native of East Rutherford. Speaking of the New York Mets, he said:
“It was a doubleheader against the Diamondbacks and I fell in love with the uniform.”
Walton grew up supporting the Texas Rangers. He became fans of players such as Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Jose Reyes. He said:
“You find out who you are. Everyone wants to hit home runs, but even in college, I knew I was gonna be a player that was gonna get on base and do whatever it takes to help the club win. I take pride in it. I enjoy it.”
Donovan Walton previously made headlines when he received the unexpected shot at the Met's roster after injury caught up with Nick Madrigal.
Also Read: Carlos Mendoza Expresses Surprise Over Juan Soto's Fast Adaptation Of Leadership Roles