4 NY Mets players who likely have a September roster spot, but don’t deserve it

The New York Mets opted to trade away many of the team's veterans and players on expiring contracts at the trade deadline with an eye toward the future. The future is a lot brighter than it was, but selling off in the way the Mets did made the rest of the 2023 season very hard to watch.

The team wasn't ever going to be very good after trading away some of its best players, but there was an expectation that we'd see some young talent come up. Not the guys the Mets acquired, but players like Ronny Mauricio, maybe Mike Vasil, and others who haven't been up were set to have a shot at proving themselves at this level. That has not happened.

The Mets need to change that as September is right around the corner, but nothing suggests this will happen. These four players shouldn't be on the roster down the stretch as they've proven they don't have MLB futures, but they likely will be barring a massive shift.

Jonathan Arauz was called up right after the deadline passed and took one of the many vacant roster spots available. Arauz has since appeared in 21 of the Mets 28 games in the month of August, starting 16 of them. It's safe to say he hasn't done much.

In 55 at-bats, Arauz has just seven hits. He's slashing .127/.200/.236 with two home runs and six RBI. He's come up big in the clutch as three of his seven hits have come with runners in scoring position, but he's mostly been a complete non-factor at the dish.

Arauz is a 25-year-old journeyman playing for his fifth organization in eight professional seasons. He had a mediocre .773 OPS in what's an excellent hitting environment in Syracuse. He provides some nice versatility and has looked solid at third base in particular defensively, but he provides almost no upside by being here.

Arauz has had opportunities with Baltimore and Boston in the past and hasn't done much, posting a .584 OPS in 175 at-bats entering this season. He hasn't done much in the past, hasn't done much this season, and likely won't do anything in the future with this team. Give his roster spot to someone else who has some sort of a future with this organization.