Carlos Beltrán is excelling in his post-playing career, too.
Asked Sunday about the Hall of Famer’s impact on the organization in his role as a special assistant, interim manager Andy Green pointed to Beltrán’s willingness to take on the least glamorous of assignments.
Beltrán was inducted into Cooperstown on Sunday, displaying a Mets cap on his plaque.
“I think the things you have to appreciate about elite performers are the things they do when the spotlight is not on them,” Green said before the Mets beat the Dodgers 8-3 at Citi Field. “It’s when he shows up in Daytona with our A-ball team and shares wisdom with our young hitters.”
The former outfielder began as a Mets special assistant in 2023 — his return to the game after he stepped aside as the team’s manager (after only 77 days at the helm without managing a game) in the fallout over the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme.
Beltrán is sometimes with the major league team as a sounding board for players, but hasn’t shied away from an equally important part of his job, according to Green.
“It’s because he wants to invest in the next generation of Mets,” Green said. “It’s one thing when you show up in the big league clubhouse and live the big league life. It’s another when you are willing to go down and talk to our minor league players and invest in them. That is where the respect really grows.”
Green indicated a next step hasn’t been decided upon for Clay Holmes, who threw a side session before the game.
Holmes pitched 2 ¹/₃ innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday in his first minor league rehab start following a fractured right fibula.
Francisco Lindor delivered an RBI single in the first inning.
Over his past 10 games, Lindor owns a .282/.364/.513 slash line with two homers and seven RBIs.
The Mets snapped a six-game losing streak against the Dodgers that dated to June 5 of last year.
