Tauchman Injured in Mets 7-5 Loss, Plus Notes From Split-Squad Loss to Nats

The Mets’ offense rolled in their 7-5 loss to the Astros Saturday. Unfortunately, the positives were lost when Mike Tauchman exited the game in the fifth with left knee soreness.

The 35-year-old appeared injured first after grounding out in the third inning. He took the field in the fourth, where he went back on a ball in right field and looked even more noticeably in pain after failing to track the ball down.

Tauchman then went to run out on defense in the fifth inning, but came up lame. He hobbled his way back to the dugout and was replaced by AJ Salgado.

The injury came right as the Mets were about to make a major roster decision before opening day. Tauchman and Carson Benge were battling for the final roster spot on the team, and Tauchman had the best case to start opening day. He was slashing .250/.382/.464 with four extra base hits entering Saturday’s game, and had an opt-out date of March 25. Factor in the potential to manipulate Benge’s service time, and the scale was tipping in Tauchman’s favor.

Outside the Tauchman injury, the Mets’ lineup looked strong against the Astros. They drove in five runs, led by the two former Blue Jays Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette.

SEMIEN DELIVERS!

Marcus comes through with a bases clearing double to put the Mets in front!
pic.twitter.com/28igYsJr5B

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) March 21, 2026

In the sixth inning with the bases loaded, Semien clubbed a bases-clearing double down the left field line. The extra base hit was a positive sign for Semien, who had been quietly struggling in spring despite two homers.

Bichette didn’t drive in any runs, but finished the day 2-for-3. He improved his spring batting average to .324 and his OPS to .881.

Francisco Alvarez also had a nice day at the plate, but more importantly, looked healthy. He finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. He also caught eight innings Saturday, a good sign before the Mets begin their season Thursday.

The Mets’ pitching was solid in Saturday’s matchup against the ‘Stros outside Jonah Tong and Ryan Lambert. Tong started the game, surrendering three runs on six hits through 4 1/3 innings. Tong was optioned to the minors before the start of the regular season, but stayed in major league camp. Lambert also received the same fate as Tong, and struggled Saturday with the major leaguers.

Lambert allowed four hits, two walks, and three runs in his outing, only recording one out. He also served up a home run to Christian Walker.

Notes from Nationals Game

The Mets played a second game Saturday against the Nationals, where they fell 3-1.

Mark Vientos homered in four at-bats, which hopefully sparks his bat heading into the 2026 season. Vientos had struggled mightly before the homer, and after the day, is still only batting .057 with a .279 OPS in 35 spring at-bats.

Benge had a tough day at the plate batting leadoff. He went 0-for-4 with a punchout.

Joander Suarez started the game for the Mets and looked promising. He struck out three in four scoreless innings of work.

On Deck

The Mets have one final spring game left Sunday against the Marlins. David Peterson will take the bump for the Mets across from Sandy Alcantara. The game will be televised by the Marlins on Marlin.TV, and broadcasted by both radio syndicates.

The post Tauchman Injured in Mets 7-5 Loss, Plus Notes From Split-Squad Loss to Nats appeared first on Metsmerized Online.