T.J. Rivera back with 51s, giving offense support

T.J. Rivera was a victim of the numbers game.

With the New York Mets tapping heavily into their bullpen in a 16-inning victory over the Marlins on Thursday, they needed reinforcements.

That left Rivera as the odd man out with a ticket to Triple-A as the Mets shifted to an eight-man bullpen, four-man bench.

While the length of Rivera’s stay is still undetermined, while he is in Las Vegas he will provide a boost to an already solid lineup.

It also will give him a chance to start seeing live pitching again after sitting on the bench for most of the first two weeks of the season.

“He makes our lineup, one through eight, a really strong lineup whenever we’re playing National League games,” manager Pedro Lopez said. “It’s a guy that the one thing he’s always done is hit.”

Rivera, once an undrafted free agent, holds a lifetime minor league batting average above .320.

Years of consistent hitting earned Rivera his first call-up last year. He finished the year hitting .333 in 33 games with the Mets.

In Triple-A, where he spent most of last season, he won the Pacific Coast League’s batting crown on the last day, edging teammate Brandon Nimmo with a .353 average.

Saturday, Rivera went hitless in his first game back from the Mets. A day later, he went 2-for-4 with a home run.

“Without a doubt he’s been a great addition to the ballclub,” Lopez said. “We were joking around. He hit that first home run, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to get called up to the big leagues again.’ ”

While that is likely something that will happen, possibly in the near future, Rivera is working on getting his timing back.

“(Saturday) I was pulling balls behind me so just to get back in that rhythm (Sunday) was nice and I just want to keep that going and get back into that groove of playing every day,” Rivera said.

Rivera made five plate appearances while with the Mets and started one game.

“Just to kind of see some speed, some (velocity) and kind of get in the rhythm of things like that I think helps a little bit, and knowing you’re going to get not just that one, you’re going to have multiple at-bats,” Rivera said. “You obviously take every at-bat like it’s your last but not to let it all ride on that one. You know you’re going to get some later on in the game.”

Rivera will be a starter for the 51s for as long as he stays, moving around the diamond.

“I want to get more time in different spots so I can show that I can play there and get comfortable with that in game mode,” Rivera said.

In his first two starts, he was at third base, where he primarily played for the 51s last season.

But he’s also going to see occasional time at second base, where he played often with the Mets when Neil Walker went down with an injury last year. And he also will be in the outfield, something that he welcomes while he works to get his rhythm back at the plate.

“Now that I’m getting to consistently get some at-bats, that’s a nice thing,” he said. “But obviously everybody wants to be in the big leagues, so you just try to stay positive about it.”

Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.