With Lucas Duda sporting a tight quad and a left-handed pitcher on the mound, the Mets opted to give infielder Justin Turner his first start in the outfield Thursday against the Nationals. The Mets are not sure if Turner will continue to see playing time there moving forward, but he has been getting work in prior to games.
"We'll find out," manager Terry Collins told ESPN.com. "He catches them in batting practice. He runs them down. The speed is a little different when the game time starts, so we'll see. ... The ball is going to find you. And we've seen it everywhere. But this is not a big park, so it's not someplace where your range has got to be such and such or you've got to really worry about where you position yourself.
The Mets' offense has been a concern recently, so if Turner, who is hitting .288 on the season in 80 at-bats, can show any kind of ability in the outfield the team might opt to let him play more often.
"Obviously I'd like to find my way in the lineup a little bit more than I have," Turner said. "Playing out in the outfield is just another option for him. So I'll go out there and prove that I can handle it and make him a little more comfortable maybe using me there whenever he needs me."