Juan Lagares is riding the pine for the fourth time in five games. This is idiotic. - MLB

The Mets lineup for tonight’s game was just released. And Juan Lagares is not in it. Eric Young is playing center. For the fourth time in five games. Oh, and Bobby Abreu is in the lineup. Not Lagares, though!

This despite the fact that Lagares is not injured. This despite the fact that Lagares is easily the Mets’ best defensive center fielder. Heck, he may be the best defensive center fielder in the game. This despite the fact that he’s also the Mets’ best offensive center fielder too, hitting .296/.336/.439. This, most notably, despite the fact that Terry Collins said earlier this month that Lagares is his every day center fielder. To this I say:

Why isn’t Lagares starting? Does anyone plan on asking Terry Collins about it today? How about asking Jon Neise how he feels about the team’s best outfielder being benched in favor of defensive whiz Bobby Abreu?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Roger Clemens will be an analyst for ESPN when the defending World Series champion Houston Astros host the Chicago White Sox on opening day.

Clemens made four appearances on last year’s KayRod Cast with Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez. He will be stepping in on March 30 for David Cone, who will be doing the New York Yankees opener against the San Francisco Giants on YES Network.

“Roger has been sort of a friend of ours for the last year, so to speak, he’s in. He’s been engaged, knowledgeable and really present,” said ESPN Vice President of Production Phil Orlins. “You know, whatever past may be, he’s still tremendously engaged and he really brought that every time he was with us.”

Clemens was a seven-time Cy Young winner but his career after baseball has been tainted by allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. He is a Houston native and pitched for the Astros for three seasons.

Orlins said that with the rules changes and pitch clock, it is important to have a pitcher in the booth with Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez.

“We don’t feel like we have to have the dynamic of Eduardo with a pitcher, but we certainly think that works. Throw in the added factor of rule changes and it is better to have a batter-pitcher perspective,” Orlins said.

Orlins did not say if this would open the door for future opportunities for Clemens as an ESPN analyst.