New York Mets: Is It Time to Send Davis to the Minors?

Last year, Ike Davis played in 36 games before he suffered a freak ankle injury from a collision with David Wright.

That cost him the rest of the season.

Coming into this season, Davis was expected to put up high numbers. Thus far in 2012, he has done anything but that. 

Hitting just .161 in 137 at-bats, Davis is looking discouraged. A slow start is understandable, but it's late May already and Davis has shown very little, if any, signs of improvement.

The Mets have looked impressive through the first eight weeks of the season. Only three and a half games behind the first place Atlanta Braves, the Mets seem to be a threat heading into the summer months.

With the severe struggles of Davis, however, the question seems to be whether or not a trip to the minors would be beneficial. Personally, I believe a trip down would be smart move for both Davis and the team as a whole. 

At this point, Davis needs fresh  offensive input from a new voice. Down on the Buffalo Bisons, he can go back to basics and really focus on tweaking his swing as well as clearing his head of what has been an exhausting first few months to the season. 

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson and Manager Terry Collins are not opposed to the idea, and as Davis' woes continue, a trip to the minor leagues seems more and more realistic.

Collins spoke in the recent days about the team considering this possibility. However, Collins also went on to say that "nothing is etched in stone," and that the team will weigh its options.

If the team does decide to move Davis down, the pieces the Mets have in place to fill his spot should be adequate. Daniel Murphy would most likely shift over to first, and Justin Turner would assume second base duties.

A big part of the Mets is Ike Davis.

With his struggles, the Mets have have had a shortened lineup, and Terry Collins has been forced to juggle the order.

The bottom line is that the Mets need Davis to produce out of the middle of the lineup. They simply cannot afford to keep him as a regular with the way he has played thus far.

It will not be long until a decision is made by the organization on the status of Davis. 

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