PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- It would have been difficult for anyone on the Clover Park back fields last Friday to harbor concern about the state of Ronny Mauricio. Stepping into the cage for batting practice, Mauricio homered multiple times from the right side of the plate. Minutes later, he turned around and did it again from the left side.

“It’s been a long time,” Mauricio said a few days later in the Mets’ clubhouse, speaking through an interpreter. “I do finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m very excited for that moment when I’m able to come back.”

In some ways, Mauricio is the Mets’ forgotten man. One of the most high-profile international signings in franchise history as a 16-year-old back in 2017, Mauricio shot up prospect lists and reached No. 1 on the Mets’ Pipeline Top 30 list three years later. As Mauricio gained strength and began to produce results in the Minors, his reputation grew.

Late in 2023, he reached the Majors, tantalizing fans and team officials with a 117.3 mph double in his debut -- the hardest-hit ball by a Met in more than two years, harder than anything Francisco Lindor or Juan Soto have hit in their careers. Entering that offseason, Mauricio was on track to compete for a starting job in Spring Training. He seemed primed to hold down second or third base for years to come.

But Mauricio shredded the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in winter ball, necessitating major surgery. His recovery stalled when he required a second, arthroscopic surgery to remove a mass of scar tissue last August. For the past 15 months, Mauricio has been rehabbing.

Even so, his potential remains clear to see. Standing 6-foot-3 and well above 200 pounds, Mauricio hits the ball as hard as any Met this side of Pete Alonso. Still just 23, he’s a year and a half younger than Mark Vientos. He ended last season as Pipeline’s No. 6 Mets prospect, and he’s getting close to showing what he can do again.

Although Mauricio will sit out the first few weeks of Grapefruit League games, he expects to be on the field before the end of spring. If all goes well, he should be able to submit something close to a full, healthy season.

“I do think that I’m going to come back better, God willing,” Mauricio said.

“Right now, he’s trending in the right direction, and we want to keep it that way,” added manager Carlos Mendoza.

Though the past 15 months have been difficult, Mauricio has tried to make the most of them. He spends his free time caring for his 5-year-old son, Liam, who lives with him along with his mother. Sometimes, his sister visits from the Dominican Republic. Mauricio traveled there for two weeks around Christmas, but otherwise has spent nearly all his time in Port St. Lucie. He’s worked hard on his English, which has improved markedly; Mauricio is now capable of holding full, nuanced conversations with his teammates and coaches.

As for the rehab, it appears to be working. Since undergoing his second surgery, Mauricio has felt close to normal again. He called it a “beneficial” setback, “because after that second operation, I was able to feel completely much better. I had that freedom that I didn’t have before.”

Despite the Mets’ crowded mix of young infielders, including Vientos, Luisangel Acuña and Jett Williams, a pathway exists for Mauricio to re-establish himself in New York. He simply needs to play in games and prove that he’s still, in all the ways that matter, the old Ronny Mauricio.

“I think it’s going to be a good comeback,” he said. “I’m the type of player that believes in my ability. I have the confidence in my work ethic and everything that I do. I’m the type of player that sets goals, and my goal is to come back and to come back a better player. I think it’s going to be a good moment for me and everybody else.”