Wilmer Flores Begins Rehab Assignment in Reno

By Sean O'Leary

July 15, 2019

Wilmer Flores begins his path back to the Big Leagues in the Biggest Little City. The veteran infielder will play with the Reno Aces beginning Monday night and will likely be with the team for a few days. Flores is rehabbing a right foot contusion suffered on May 20.
Flores signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal with Arizona, and was playing well before his injury. In 42 games, Flores hit .281 with nine doubles, two home runs, and 14 RBI. Then, at the end of May, he was diagnosed with a fractured foot after going on the Injured List with a right foot contusion.
The 27-year-old begun his rehab assignment on July 7 with the AZL Diamondbacks but played just four games. In his 13 at-bats, Flores had seven hits with two doubles and an RBI, coming to a .538 average.

He has plenty of experience in the PCL with the then Las Vegas 51s. In 163 career games with Las Vegas, Flores slashed .321/.361/.545 with 48 doubles, 28 home runs, 144 RBI and a .906 OPS.
His time in the minors was decorated with plenty of honors. He was named the PCL Player of the Week for the week of July 7 in 2014, a Triple-A All-Star in 2013, as well as a Mets organization All-Star in 2013. Outside his time in the PCL, he was named to two other midseason All-Star teams in 2010 and 2012, earned two Futures Game selections in 2009 and 2012 and two other Mets organization All-Star selections in 2010 and 2012.
Before signing with the Diamondbacks in January, Flores spent six years with the Mets. Before making his debut, he was rated as the fifth-best prospect in the Mets system and the tenth best third base prospect by MLB Pipeline.
In his major league time with New York, he played 581 games and slashed .262/.303/.424 with 96 doubles, 68 home runs and 253 RBI with a .727 OPS. In his last four seasons with the Mets, he was a relatively full-time player playing in over 100 games all four seasons and playing in over 120 in two of them. In those four seasons, he hit at least 16 home runs three times, including an 18 home runs season in 2017.
Flores' return to the Diamondbacks creates an interesting dilemma in the infield for Arizona. Jake Lamb is back from injury and will take the bulk of reps at third base. That with Eduardo Escobar's terrific season and Ketel Marte's breakout as an All-Star starter, plus Flores and shortstop Nick Ahmed, Arizona is going to have a bulk of very solid players in the infield vying for time.