Danny Mendick

Mendick was amid his most productive season at the plate when he blew out his right knee last June. The White Sox elected to non-tender him as a result of the injury, but he was quickly scooped up by the Mets on a major-league deal. The hope is that Mendick will be ready to roll for Opening Day, although it's possible the team proceeds cautiously with him. Mendick is predominantly a middle infielder but can handle third base and the corner outfield spots, as well. His versatility could be useful for the Mets but it's not a skill set which figures to bear any fantasy fruit.

In his 49 games with the White Sox across the last two seasons, Mendick has logged playing time at second base, third base and shortstop. His playing time unexpectedly increased in 2020 after Nick Madrigal was sidelined with a shoulder injury and Yoan Moncada missed an early portion of the campaign with a COVID-19 diagnosis. Mendick has a profile stereotypical of a utility infielder, capable of making contact at a decent rate but lacking significant power. Notably, he has just a .144 ISO across 154 major-league plate appearances and has barreled only two balls in 111 batted ball events. Though Mendick was able to rack up steals in the upper levels of the minors, he has shown average to below-average sprint speed and has yet to steal a bag with the White Sox. Entering 2021, he will have the chance to maintain his utility role and could be the primary backup at second base, third base and shortstop.

Mendick made his big-league debut in September, hitting .308 with a pair of homers in 40 trips to the plate. In a larger sample of 133 games for Triple-A Charlotte, he hit .279/.368/.444 (109 wRC+) with 17 homers and 19 steals. Mendick was never highly rated as a prospect, but he should have enough of a skillset to make it as a bench player in the majors. It's possible that at-bats are available at second base early in the season, but Nick Madrigal should be arriving soon and occupying the position for the foreseeable future, if all goes well. Mendick can take a walk and steal a handful of bases, which could keep him somewhat relevant in AL-only leagues if he does end up with unexpected playing time, but he doesn't have the power to make a significant impact in most formats.