Young has emerged as the leading candidate for the Braves' Opening Day center field job, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. "If we had to break camp tomorrow, I would be comfortable running [Young] out there in center field," manager Fredi Gonzalez said Wednesday. "We still have a lot more games to be played, he's still got a lot more work to be done with (coach) Bo (Porter) clean him up a little bit. But he's got the athletic ability and he seems fearless, which is hard to teach. He'll go after balls and leave his feet to catch them. Those are all good qualities." Previously, Young's name was mentioned in the conversation for a platoon role in left alongside Jonny Gomes and he was even thrown around as a candidate for a part-time job at second base, but it sounds like he's now tentatively penciled in for the everyday role in center while Melvin Upton Jr. (foot) is out. While Young was batting just .200 for the spring coming into Thursday, he has gotten on base at a .400 clip in five games while adding three stolen bases and playing quality defense. With Young occupied in center, the door may be open for Zoilo Almonte to carve out the platoon role in left.

Young could compete for part-time duties at second base during spring training, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.Young has made just a handful of appearances at second base in recent seasons, but he came up as a second baseman and could be an option at the keystone if the team plays Alberto Callaspo at third against right-handed pitching. The 29-year-old Young is also a candidate to platoon in left field with Jonny Gomes, and the team also sees him as an option to lead off against right-handed pitching. Jace Peterson and Phil Gosselin could both be options at second as well, but everything will hinge on their performances during Grapefruit League play.

The Braves view Young as a candidate to lead off against right-handed pitching, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.First things first, Young, who will be in camp as a non-roster invitee, will need to beat out Zoilo Almonte for the left-field platoon role alongside Jonny Gomes. Manager Fredi Gonzalez seems to like the idea of having the speedy Young atop the order against right-handers, as that would allow Nick Markakis (neck) to move down in the order. However, Young hit just .229/.299/.311 in 100 games with the Mets last season (316 PA) and it seems inevitable that top prospect Jose Peraza will ultimately assume leadoff duties.

Young signed a minor league contract with the Braves on Friday, David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.Young spent most of 2014 with the Mets, but struggled and finished the season with a .229/.299/.311 batting line with one home run, 17 RBI and 30 stolen bases. He's expected to challenge for a spot in an outfield devoid of Justin Upton and Jason Heyward from 2014.

The Mets declined to tender Young a contract, Mike Vorkunov of the Star-Ledger reports. Young regressed at the plate again in 2014, slashing just .229/.299/.311 over 316 plate appearances with the Mets while striking out at a 19 percent clip. He still has ample speed, but is unable to drive the ball enough to where he can use that speed to procure extra bases (16 XBH last season). The 29-year-old made $1.85 million last season in his first year of arbitration.

Young is out of the lineup Sunday against the Braves. Young has made back-to-back starts in left field for the Mets, but will give way to Matt den Dekker on Sunday afternoon. With Juan Lagares dealing with an elbow sprain, manager Terry Collins will continue to use a relatively deep rotation in the outfield, which means more playing time for Young, den Dekker and Kirk Nieuwenhuis over the final week of the season.

Young started his fourth straight game in left field Saturday, but went 0-for-4 in the Mets' 10-3 loss to the Nationals. Young was 7-for-11 his previous three games, taking advantage of Matt den Dekker's injury to start. The Mets opted to start Young over Kirk Nieuwenhuis after sitting him most of the past month,

Young, pinch-running in the ninth inning, stole third but came off the bag and was tagged out, costing the Mets a shot at tying the game in their 2-1 loss to the Reds on Saturday. Young has mainly been limited to pinch-running and hitting duties, seeing just 19 at-bats over the past month. There is a decent possibility the Mets move on from Young this off-season with other outfielders in the system, though his speed is still a valuable commodity.

Young started in left field Wednesday against the A's and went 1-for-4 at the plate. Young got the nod with Kirk Nieuwenhuis scratched due to his neck injury. Young has seen just 25 at-bats over the last month, as he has been passed by several others to see playing time in the outfield.

The Mets will hit Jacob deGrom eighth and Eric Young, Jr. ninth Monday against the Cardinals. Meanwhile, Curtis Granderson will get his second straight start out of the leadoff spot. The Mets are desperate for offense right now, so they are willing to experiment. This is the first time in team history that they have batted the pitcher eighth.