PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Mets infielder Robinson Canó started Thursday’s game at first base during a 7-3 loss to the Nationals at Clover Park. It was Canó’s first game at the position since 2018 when he was a member of the Mariners.

Canó, a second baseman by trade, ended up having a clean game, making five putouts with two assists. He made a couple of great plays. The first one came in the first inning. Juan Soto hit a ground ball to Canó’s right side, Canó fielded it and then flipped it to right-hander Taijuan Walker for the first out of the inning.

“He made some good feeds,” Walker said. “He was funny over there. He was having a good time, it looked like. Every ball that was thrown to him, he was laughing, talking crap to everyone.”

Three innings later with one out, Nationals outfielder Lane Thomas hit a ground ball to third baseman Eduardo Escobar, who made a wild throw to Canó at first base. Canó then made a swipe tag on Thomas for the second out of the inning.

“I know he is capable of playing over there,” manager Buck Showalter said before the game. “… It’s nothing new to him. I don’t want him to get caught in a bind and be cold turkey in New York. I just want to make sure [the players] know what we are thinking. The what ifs. I think that’s important. … I’m just trying to rehearse all the things that might come at us.”

Walker solid on mound
It looks like Walker will be on the Opening Day roster. He made his second start of the spring and was solid against the Nationals, going 3 2/3 innings without allowing a run.

Walker was scheduled to throw three innings, but his pitch count was low so he faced two more batters in the fourth before exiting after 54 pitches. It appears like his knee problems are behind him. Walker had spent most of the spring on the sidelines after undergoing a right knee debridement procedure in January.

He will make one more spring start on Tuesday before the season opens in Washington against the Nationals on April 7. When Walker makes his first regular-season start, he hopes to pitch at least five innings and throw 75 pitches.

“I feel good. I feel confident where I’m at right now. The knee feels great. The shoulder is building up. I felt really good today with all of my pitches,” Walker said.

Worth noting
Right-hander Tylor Megill and left-hander David Peterson pitched on the back field on Thursday afternoon. They pitched five innings and threw 78 and 73 pitches, respectively.