[LansdowneSt]

The Victor Diaz Fan Club, if one existed, could rejoice yesterday.

On the day Diaz arrived back in the big leagues, manager Willie Randolph provided the strongest indication yet that the Mets’ promising young hitter would be with the team for the long haul.

“As the summer goes on, we’re probably going to use Victor,” Randolph said before last night’s game with the Marlins. Diaz, a 23-year-old power hitter built like a powder keg, was recalled when outfielder Eric Valent was designated for assignment late Friday. Diaz batted .294 with three homers and eight RBIs in a 15-game cup of coffee in 2004. In 28 games this year, he batted an identical .294 with 17 runs, seven doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs.

“He just has incredible power to all fields,” Mets third baseman David Wright said. “He has a great idea of what he’s doing at the plate. He’s a great situational hitter. For the most part, he makes contact. He’s a big boost to the ballclub.”

The issue at hand is whether Diaz’s development will be hampered as the team’s fourth outfielder, or whether he’s better suiting playing every day in Triple-A. He batted .194 in nine games at Norfolk. Diaz is not quite a finished product, and there’s a good chance he could get rusty on the bench when Beltran returns. But it sounded like he has a key supporter in Randolph.

“So he does a lot of things for you, but he’s still obviously young. He needs to work and grow, but the fact that he’s here with this staff, he’s going to learn.”

Said Diaz: “I’ve always said I think I should be here. All I can do is work hard and prove I belong here.” - NY Post, May 29, 2005