Note: Church could be in Tonight’s Lineup
As noted last night, Jerry Manuel told reporters yesterday that Ryan Church 
will likely return to the Mets for tonight’s game.
According to Manuel, Church could start in right field tonight and Saturday, while getting a day off on Sunday.
Manuel explained that Fernando Tatis will see less playing time, given Church’s pending return, while Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans will continue to split time in left field.
Manuel, speaking about Church, to reporters, yesterday afternoon, said:
“He was a very good player for us for a while. Probably our best player for a period of time. So I’d
like to see him get back to that level…(Murphy and Evans) will stay in left field and Tatis will probably spell Ryan in right field against left-handed pitchers to keep him sharp. You’ll have two or three ways to choose from, depending on who gets hot or who has a good matchup.”
Tatis, who is batting .246 in his last 70 at bats, later told reporters that he is fine with whatever way Manuel chooses to make out the lineup, adding, “Whatever is good for Church is good for me.”
I like this, because, out of all the players in this scenario, Tatis has shown the ability to hit from the bench, which is not as easy as most people would like to think it is.
In 15 pinch-hit at bats this year, Tatis is hitting .333 with two RBI.
