Jorge Polanco heard boos at Citi Field on Sunday after another empty night at the plate, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts and a walk in the Mets' 2-0 loss to the Marlins. The crowd let him know what it thought after his ninth-inning whiff.
That reaction followed a stretch that has left Polanco near the bottom of the majors in recent form. Since returning on July 7 from a lengthy stint on the injured list, he is 4-for-51 with a double, three walks and 18 strikeouts in 15 games, and no hitter with at least 50 plate appearances has been close to that unproductive since his return.
Andy Green said it is fair to assume Polanco is still working back his timing after missing so much time, but the manager did not hide the larger issue. The results have not materialized, Green said, and the Mets are now hoping a change of scenery can help.
That is why the road trip matters. Green said he is excited to get Polanco on the road and believes changing the environment, along with some early hitting, might jump-start him. The hope is straightforward: take him away from the noise at Citi Field and see whether the bat starts to move a little more freely. But the recent sample is ugly enough that the venue alone may not be the fix. His slump has continued both at home and away since July 7, which means the problem has outgrown the park and now looks more like a timing issue that has not yet found its way back.
The Mets do not have the luxury of waiting forever. Polanco's struggles are being measured against every trip to the plate, and the next road trip is the first real test of whether a new setting can matter or whether the slump keeps running with him. For now, the boos were the loudest answer, and the Mets are left betting that a change in surroundings can still change the story.
