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Campbell returns to regular program

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- And now Eric Campbell can return to his normal position ... wherever that is.

Eric Campbell

Eric Campbell

#29 LF
New York Mets

2014 STATS

  • GM85
  • HR3

  • RBI16

  • R16

  • OBP.322

  • AVG.263

Campbell, who had been getting a full-time crash course in catching since camp opened, will start working at his more customary positions now that the first full-squad workout has begun. That means working as a corner infielder and outfielder.

Campbell is expected to make the Opening Day roster as a righty-hitting utility player. The Mets have been training him as a third-string catcher for emergency situations, even though no Mets infielder or outfielder has played there since Todd Zeile in 2004 -- and that was at Zeile's request for nostalgia purposes.

The catching position was not 100 percent unfamiliar to Campbell. He said he has caught friends' throwing sessions during recent offseasons.

Campbell is unsure if he will play in a Grapefruit League game behind the plate, but he expects to at least get thrown into a minor-league game at the position before breaking camp.

"It was awesome," Campbell said about the catching tutorial. "[Coach] Bob [Geren] did a good job of taking me from Step 1 to where I'm at now. Obviously I'm not at the level of the other catchers, but I feel a little more comfortable now if something were to happen. And hopefully by the end of spring I'll be even more comfortable."