But Emaus was removed as the everyday starter after only six games. And he’s started half of the last eight. It’s pretty easy to see why — he’s posted an anemic 162/.262/.162 in 42 PA — but is it the right decision, based on such a limited number of plate appearances?…

Face it, the Mets aren’t going anywhere this season. Daniel Murphy isn’t the answer, even as a stop-gap option. If the Mets did the unthinkable and attempted to demote Emaus, the team would have to offer him back to the Blue Jays and have him clear waivers. There’s no way the Mets hold onto him under those circumstances.

– Eric Seidman, FanGraphs.com.

OK, here’s the first thing that strikes me about this: Why is Murphy simply dismissed as “not the answer, even as a stop-gap option”?

I know Murphy is not an aesthetically pleasing defender at any position — he knows it too. But he looked to be a rangy defender at first base and hasn’t yet shown he can’t handle second. At 26, Murphy is only a year older than Emaus. And unlike Emaus, Murphy has 741 plate appearances of not embarrassing himself at the Major League level.

The crux of Seidman’s argument is correct: Teams should not give up on young players with promise because of a handful of crappy at-bats. But considering the personnel in the Mets’ case, I’m not sure why it’s so terrible to give Murphy at-bats against certain righties and an opportunity to show can cut it at second base.

It’s true that Emaus, like all young players, would likely benefit from regular at-bats. But Emaus is 25, so it’s not exactly like the Mets have again called up Ruben Tejada to ride the pine or Jenrry Mejia to pitch in mop-up situations. And since it’s entirely likely Emaus will prove to be little more than a platoon player, he’ll probably need to be able to succeed in irregular at-bats, too.

As Seidman notes, Emaus is still starting about half the Mets’ games. With enough time, he should have plenty of opportunities to show whether he’s worth keeping around. And since the Mets have another youngish player at the same position working to prove his merit as a Major Leaguer, it’s unclear why Emaus should be prioritized.