JD Davis pinch-hit for Aaron Altherr in the seventh inning of Sunday's win with a single, but when Mickey Callaway noticed him moving with what he said was not a "smooth gait," the manager's decision on who would take over in left field came down to one person, Amed Rosario.
"Sometimes you have to do whatever you have to do to win a game and that's what we did tonight," Callaway said. "We knew that this could be a possibility. We were ready to go that route a few days ago. [Rosario's] ability to go out there, and his willingness more than anything, allows you to win games."
"He's an unselfish player, and we have a bunch of them out there."
Rosario may have convinced his manager he was ready, but he knew he'd have to learn left field on the fly, telling reporters through a translator after the game that he'd never played the outfield in a game at any level. He still managed to handle the only play that came his way, a fly ball off the bat of Whit Merrifield.
"At first I was a little nervous, but once I was able to loosen up, I was getting the hang of it out there," Rosario said. "Once the ball was hit to me I was pretty comfortable."
Davis was removed from Friday's game with calf tightness and didn't appear in the starting lineup in either game against the Royals over the weekend. However, the 26-year-old said he was ready to go before the game, and has no cause for concern even after being replaced on the basepaths after going first-to-third on a single.
"They told me if I got on base to take it easy and not do anything to provoke it or flame it back up," Davis said. "I didn't really feel anything so that was a good sign for me."
With a big week of games against the Indians and Braves coming up, Davis is expecting to be back in the lineup when the Mets host Cleveland on Tuesday.
"Yeah, I'll be ready," Davis said confidently. "We had contemplated playing today but they just decided to give me an extra day to get ready for it."