Reynolds basking in World Series run

FAYETTEVILLE — Two weeks ago, Matt Reynolds was watching the MLB postseason from a hotel in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

Tonight he'll be on the bench for Game 1 of the World Series against the Royals in Kansas City.

"I know what's going on but it just really hasn't sunk in yet that we're in the World Series right now," Reynolds said. "Probably a week or two after the season I'm going to reflect on what happened and it's probably going to hit me, and I'm going to be in shock.

"It's been a crazy ride, but definitely fun."

It has been a whirlwind two weeks for Reynolds, who is expected to suit up for the Mets in the Fall Classic.

Reynolds is on the roster as New York's backup shortstop after Ruben Tejada suffered a broken leg Oct. 10 in the National League Division Series against the Dodgers. Reynolds was on the bench two days later for a game at Citi Field in New York.

Three days later he was dog-piling for the first time since helping Arkansas advance to the College World Series in 2012.

Although his Class AAA season in Las Vegas ended more than a month before, Reynolds was still playing baseball at the time of Tejada's injury. Along with other top prospects, he had been sent to the Mets' training facility in south Florida at the end of September to stay in playing shape in the unlikely event he would be needed for the postseason.

When that did happen, Reynolds, 24, said he was as ready as could be expected.

"This is where you've got to trust the work you've put in and that you're ready," Reynolds said. "This is the same game, just a bigger stage."

Reynolds barely slept the night of Tejada's injury. He received the call-up at 9 a.m. the next day and by 4 p.m. was on a plane from West Palm Beach to New York.

"Everyone was texting me," Reynolds said. "My phone didn't stop vibrating for two days straight."

Meshing with the big-leaguers wasn't a problem. Reynolds knew most of the Mets after going through spring training with the club, and he has played with several of them in three seasons working his way through the minor leagues.

"I have a bunch of good friends on this team," Reynolds said. "The only guys I didn't know were the ones we got at the trade deadline. They have welcomed me with open arms.

"I'm treating this as a learning experience of what this is like and what it takes to get here."

Reynolds has spent the better part of the last two regular seasons in Las Vegas. He batted .267 with six home runs and 65 RBIs this season, and had a .971 fielding percentage.

Mets manager Terry Collins told Newsday last week that it was not a difficult choice to call-up Reynolds, a Tulsa-native who was a second-round draft pick three years ago.

"At someplace along the line, you've got to enter the big stage," Collins said. "This is a little more difficult than others, but you know what, he's the highest-ranking shortstop we got. So he was the guy we needed to bring here."

Reynolds has yet to play this postseason. If he does play, he would become the first player in the modern era to make his MLB debut in the World Series.

"With the history of the game, to be the first person to ever do it, that would be unbelievable," Reynolds said.

Even if he doesn't make it into a game, he and his family have had an unforgettable and unpredictable October. His parents were in New York and Chicago for all four games of the National League Championship Series, and his extended family will be in the stands for the World Series.

"My nephew, Benton, is really excited," Reynolds said. "He loves baseball and loves watching the Mets now."