PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Danny Muno, not fellow New York Mets infield prospect Matt Reynolds, is likely to claim an Opening Day roster spot assuming Daniel Murphy opens the season on the disabled list, an organization source told ESPN.com.
Neither Muno nor Reynolds is on the 40-man roster. And Reynolds has the higher upside.
Still, the Mets are planning to hold Murphy out of Grapefruit League games this week and backdate any DL stint. That would allow Murphy, who has a pulled hamstring, to miss as few as the opening five games of the season. In such a short-term-absence scenario, the Mets prefer having Muno and Ruben Tejada available for manager Terry Collins to use until Murphy is activated, with Reynolds serving as Triple-A Las Vegas' shortstop.
If Reynolds started the season with the major-league club and had some success, Collins might want to keep him as a bench player once Murphy returns. Mets officials want to avoid that drama because they want Reynolds to play every day somewhere. They also would not want to start his service clock for a backup role.
Both Muno and Reynolds are having fine camps. Muno, known for his plate discipline, is hitting .381 with one homer and five RBIs in 42 Grapefruit League at-bats. In the identical number of at-bats, Reynolds also is hitting .381, with two homers and seven RBIs.
